Viva Tomatoes!

I love tomatoes. Not those perfectly round, unblemished, often mealy tomatoes you find in the grocery store even in the heart of winter. I love heirloom tomatoes! In all their imperfect glory heirloom tomatoes burst with flavor and come in so many varieties that you could almost have a different tomato each day of the tomato season that stretches from June/July to November.

Heirlooms tomatoes are descendants of tomatoes developed up to 500 years ago. They come in a range of colors from white to black; in a plethora of sizes from tiny currant-sized tomatoes to hefty beefsteaks; and in flavors from sweet to tart.

My mother introduced me to heirlooms as a child. An avid gardener, she converted a portion of my grandmother's super sized backyard into a large garden. She grew several varieties, chiefly Brandywines, a big, beefsteak sized tomato. Brandywines are an excellent tomato with their slightly sweet and tart flavor and are available in red, pink, yellow and black varieties.

This year in our backyard garden, we have 10 varieties, several Brandywines, Black from Tula, Pineapple, Jubilee, Green Zebra, Chocolate Cherry, Mirabelle Blanche Cherry, Sun Gold Cherry, Red Grape and Green Grape.

Our plants are heavy with fruit this time of year. We pick tomatoes several times each week and there is nothing better than tossing back a tomato just picked from the vine.

Even if you don't have a backyard, though, you too can have fresh tomatoes, either grown in pots or from Baltimore's excellent Jones Fall Farmer's Market on Sundays. While there are smaller markets held during the week in Baltimore and Towson but the Sunday market is far larger and filled with stalls selling an enormous variety of tomatoes.

We love to eat the tomatoes simply so as not to mask their magnificent flavor. Speaking of flavor there's just one thing to remember when it comes to tomatoes...NEVER PUT A TOMATO IN THE REFRIGERATOR!

Store them at room temperature on the counter. Cold temperatures cause the fruit to lose its flavor something to do with the fact that they are sub-tropical fruit. The cold will also cause overripe tomatoes to soften more quickly. Don't throw overripe tomatoes away. Instead throw them in pot and make sauce or a soup base. Put the cooled sauce in a Ziploc bag or plastic container and put it in the freezer for later use.

If your tomatoes are not quite ripe, either place them in a sunny spot or put them in a paper bag with a ripe tomato or banana for a day or so. Green and underripe tomatoes are good for frying and chutneys.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad
1/2 pint each, yellow or orange, red and pink cherry or grape tomato
1 pint bocconcini (small balls of fresh mozzarella)
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup basil, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
coarse ground sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise in place in a medium sized bowl. Cut bocconcini in quarters and add to the bowl.
In a small bowl with a whisk, mix the parsley, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour over tomato, mozzarella mixture and add coarse sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Fried Tomatoes
1 Beefsteak tomato, (Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, etc.)
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg, well-beaten
4 tbsp canola, safflower or olive oil

On a cutting board cut tomato into 1/2-inch slices. In a small bowl combine cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper.

Heat oil on medium-high in a large skillet or cast iron pan. Working quickly, one at a time, dip tomato slice in egg and then in the cornmeal flour mixture. Place slices in pan and cook two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Children & Lunch

For children and parents, packing a lunch for school is seldom easy. Adults want their children to eat something healthy and kids just want something tasty and familiar. While they may not seem like divergent goals, in reality, the two groups - parents and children - are often miles apart.

Chef Ann Cooper has spent most of her career trying to educate children, parents and school systems about providing healthy lunches. In her latest book, Lunch Lessons and the accompanying Web site Cooper provides valuable advice on cooking up the best lunch possible.

According to Cooper, parents should focus on "packing numerous small items -- veggies w/ dips - fruit w/ dips - nut butters to spread on things," instead of simply a sandwich and a piece of fruit.

Using heirloom and new varieties of fruits and vegetables like orange, yellow or green zebra tomatoes, yellow or orange watermelon can make eating vegetables and fruits interesting and fun.

Homemade salsa - 2 heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and half of a small onion (optional) - served with slices of cucumber, zucchini, summer squash and carrots or baked tortilla chips.

Wraps and pitas are better than sandwiches, anyway, because they add variety to the lunch sack. If, however, sandwiches work best for your family, experts recommend using whole grain breads instead of white bread. Parents can make sandwiches fun by using large cookie cutters or sandwich or crust cuttersto cut out sandwich shapes.

Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine is an excellent resource. The monthly publication includes a Lunchbox recipe.


Zesty BLT
1 multigrain tortilla, wheat pita or 2 slices multigrain bread
2 strips turkey bacon
1 slice tomato
2 leaves romaine lettuce
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/8 tsp chile powder
1/4 tsp lime juice

Place turkey bacon on a rack on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake turkey bacon in an oven preheated to 375 degrees until crispy.
In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, chile powder and lime juice.
Spread mayonnaise mixture on tortillia, inside the pita or bread. Add lettuce and bacon. Wrap it up in saran wrap or place in sandwich container. Put tomatoes in a plastic ziploc-type bag or another lunch container.

To make this sandwich into a club, add half of a turkey cutlet that has been seasoned with Season-All and sauteed for 6 minutes on both sides.

Veggie Wrap
1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow or red pepper, thinly sliced
1/8 cup carrots, shredded
1 small summer squash, thinly sliced
1 small zuchinni, thinly sliced
1/4 cup hummus or 2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 multigrain tortilla

Spread hummus or mayonnaise on tortilla. One layer at a time add veggies. Roll up and insert toothpicks every 2 inches. Slice wrap into pinwheels.

Welcome!

Food - is where it's at for me. I come from a family with a tradition of transforming fresh ingredients into fabulous dishes. And, while it may take a while longer my mother and grandmother always emphasized the importance of cooking from scratch.

The contents of this blog will also reflect the inspiration I receive from some of the most well known names in cooking today - Martha Stewart, Rick Bayless, Mario Batali and a host of others.

Now, I'm sharing with you what I have learned over the past 30 years of cooking for my family and friends! I hope you enjoy the recipes and please feel free to add any feedback you may have.

Many of the recipes on this blog appear weekly in the Thursday edition of the Baltimore Examiner