Six Simple Tomato Recipes

When tomatoes are at the peak of flavor and ripeness, I love to thickly slice one and put it between two slices of good white Potato or Buttermilk Bread with some salt and Miracle Whip for a quick and tasty juicy tomato treat! Use Mayonnaise if you like or other types of bread. To my mind the bread has to be soft so you can appreciate the texture of the tomato and when you bite through, the bread is not going to squash the tomato to death and cause juice and seeds to spurt out all over the place.

How about a delectable grilled cheese and tomato sandwich? Again, this is one of the few sandwiches I enjoy on white bread and my favorite cheese is some good sharp cheddar.
Feel free to experiment with different cheeses, breads, and accompaniments.

Basil and Tomato were born to go together and nothing screams summer to me more than tomatoes and basil (except maybe corn on the cob). Here is a recipe that is satisfying, and elegant as well as quick and easy.

Linguine with fresh Tomatoes and Basil
(for 2 servings)

Two ripe medium Tomatoes
1/4 pound cooked Linguine (or your favorite pasta shape)
about 6 leaves fresh Basil sliced in thin ribbons
1-2 cloves chopped Garlic
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt to taste

1) Heat Olive oil in a large skillet till hot but not smoking.
2) Add Garlic and stir for a couple seconds.
3) Add Tomatoes and stir till just hot and they have released some of their juices
4) Add pasta and stir till heated through
5) Add Basil and Parmesan cheese and stir in
6) Remove from heat and serve immediately

Serve with some crusty bread and a light fruity wine like Pinot Noir.

Hints: Don't overcook the tomatoes. You want a fresh tomato taste and the juices to mix with the olive oil and garlic to make a sauce. Use several colors tomatoes to add color appeal.

Tomatoes and avocados are in season at the same time so, they are a natural to go together. Make the vinaigrette ahead of time and this simple elegant salad comes together in minutes!

Tomato Avocado Salad
(for two servings)

Two medium Tomatoes, sliced
One Avocado, halved, scooped out of peel and sliced
Chipotle Tomato Vinaigrette
Lettuce for garnish

Chipotle Tomato Vinaigrette

1 cup diced Tomatoes
3 tablespoons Chipotle Puree*
1/4 cup diced Red Onion
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 cup seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

Put all ingredients except oil into a blender and puree then add oil slowly to emulsify.
Store in a clean glass container.

*Chipotle Puree

Empty one can chipotle chiles in adobo into a blender.
Fill the can with water and add to blender.
Puree well then strain to remove seeds and skins.
Keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks.

Arrange the tomato slices and 1/2 avocado on each plate then drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Hints:
Change the salad up by adding other ingredients to your taste like; black beans, corn, jicama, green onions, cucumber etc.

The chipotle vinaigrette is good on taco salad or sauteed vegetables.

The chipotle puree is also great to have for seasoning other dishes like beans, burritos, or eggs.

Here's another simple healthy summer salad you can make in a jiffy! You can use the chipotle vinaigrette from the recipe above or your favorite zesty Greek or Italian dressing.

Chickpea Tomato Salad
(for 2 servings)

2 medium Tomatoes (two different colors looks nice)
1/2 Cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
1 bunch Live Watercress*
1/2 small Red Onion, julienned
1/2 can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Dressing of your choice

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with the dressing.
Arrange on a plate and serve

Hints:
*I recently found live watercress in my supermarket greens section. It has the roots still on and keeps at least a week in the refrigerator. You can cut off what you need to toss in salads, toss with sauteed vegetables or stir into a soup.

If you can not find watercress, use whatever you have.

I discovered after making this that it is even better with some feta cheese sprinkled over it.

Tabbouleh salad is one of those recipes where everyone has their own version adapted to their taste. It should have a lot of parsley in it and the amount of lemon juice, mint, and olive oil can vary widely. Most traditional recipes I have found have an alarming amount of Olive oil. I put in just enough to coat the bulgur.

Tabbouleh Salad
(2 servings)

1/2 cup medium grain Bulgur
1 bunch Parsley, minced (preferably flat leaf)
1/2 bunch Mint minced
1/2 bunch Green Onions, sliced very thin
2 medium Tomatoes, diced
1/2 Lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons Olive Oil

Cover bulgur in a bowl with lukewarm water by about one inch and set aside for about 20 minutes while you dice the rest of the ingredients. Turn the bulgur out into a strainer or a kitchen towel and squeeze out all of the water. It should be plump and moist but without any liquid. Pour the bulgur into a bowl with the rest of the diced vegetables and mix well. Add salt and pepper and more lemon juice and olive oil to taste.

Hints:
For fun you can use romaine leaves as wrappers to eat it.
This is cool to make without the tomato then stuff into cherry tomatoes for appetizers

Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil are fabulous together and with just a little extra work, you have a most elegant appetizer or salad!

Tomato Fresh Mozzarella Stack
(for 2 servings)

Two Medium (1 yellow/1 red) tomatoes sliced
1 Fresh Mozzarella ball sliced into 6 slices
One bunch fresh Basil
Good Olive Oil
Balsamic Reduction*

Remove all of the basil leaves from the stems.
Set aside six of the largest basil leaves.
Put the rest of the basil into a blender and add just enough olive oil to make a smooth green puree. Add a couple pinches salt and pour into a container with a lid.
Put one tomato slice on a plate and top with one slice cheese then a basil leaf. repeat three more times alternating colors of tomato slices. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and basil oil. Serve.

*For the Balsamic reduction:

3/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

Put into a heavy pot and reduce till it coats the back of a spoon. It will thicken a little more as it cools.

Hints: Balsamic reduction will keep refrigerated for months, only a little goes a long way. Great drizzled on tomatoes or grilled vegetables.