The Heirloom Tomatoes You Bought at the Farmer’s Market

You are not alone. We have all done it– all of us who love the sight, sound and thought of food.

We go to the farmers market and are compelled by colors, odd shapes and peculiar textures… and we know we just have to try that, this week. Maybe even tonight, when we get home. Yes, that’s it! Dinner will be a farmer’s market festival: the result of our adventurous purchases, fresh from the farm. It will be wonderful and wholesome and exciting!

But from the time you leave the market to the hours and hours later when you finally get home, your ambition has faded: the idea of figuring out what to do with all those formerly intriguing fruits and vegetables has flown from your mind. You are hungry, and you have bags full of interesting squash and heirloom tomatoes. You just want dinner.

This has not ever happened to me, of course, because I am a Food Professional married to another Food Professional. We needed four pounds of beautiful heirloom tomatoes. And the squash, the scapes, the shoots and several other edible plants that are not available in the supermarket. And yes, of course we will make exquisite dishes from all of them. I started with this heirloom tomato salad which my daughter Rachel and I happily ate nearly every day for four days. That left only another two pounds of tomatoes to use…

 Print Without Photo
 Print With Photo

Heirloom Tomato Salad

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon drained small capers

1/4 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs in any combination of thyme, oregano and parsley

2 pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes, cut in 1/4-inch slices

1. Whisk together the balsamic, capers, salt and olive oil. Stir in the onions and fresh herbs.

2. Arrange the tomatoes in slightly overlapping layers on a platter, spooning dressing over each layer. Allow to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 (large!) servings

Nutritional analysis per serving: 125 calories, 3 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 240 mg sodium

News Flash! Cooking Light just named my Simple Lobster Risotto as one of the 25 best seafood recipes of the last 25 years. Check it out! (And don’t miss my Chocolate Frangelico Fondue, which they named as one of their top 16 chocolate recipes in the last 25 years!)