Aw, sweet summer has come to an end. Or, has it. Today's temperatures in Oakland, California were in the low 70-80s.Clear blue skies and rain averted for another day. Last week at the Farmers Market with an abundance of ripe, sweet, red, delicious tomatoes. Ripe for the taking... or in this case the buying for an assortment of meals, dishes or canning.
My favorite use for large ripe tomatoes? Giada De Laurintis recipe I found years ago that includes puff pastry, pesto and salmon. The juicy sweetness of the tomatoes cuts the richness of the puff pastry and pesto and adding a freshness that only this genuinely versatile fruit can bring. Fruit? Tomatoes are a vegetable, right? I think ... not. According to most science articles the tomatoes is developed from the ovary of the base of a flower, similar to the blueberry. It's confused with a vegetable based on its use in savory dishes rather than sweet. And, plus my Mom said so!
What did I do with his fruit at home. I let them ripen on the counter... For God sake, please do not, I repeat DO NOT put tomatoes in the fridge... its ruins the integrity and they taste yucky! I used them in salads for work. Diced them up for bruschetta and finally in chicken soup on a cool Fall night. Run.... don't walk and stock up on these beauties before the summer is gone.
Cook with love... it makes everything taste better.
