Under the definition of
”
luscious,
”
dictionary editors should place one picture: a summer tomato,
red and swollen and ready to eat. To me, it epitomizes all of
summer’s attributes: fragrant, colorful, juicy and warm.
Under the definition of “luscious,” dictionary editors should place one picture: a summer tomato, red and swollen and ready to eat. To me, it epitomizes all of summer’s attributes: fragrant, colorful, juicy and warm.
I know there are some tomato-haters out there, and they will not agree. I’m sure they have their own adjectives for tomatoes, but I don’t want to hear them. Instead, I want to talk about what’s coming in a few months – the true tomatoes. Forget about the square, pale pink boxes that pass for tomatoes in winter. You can even discount the on-the-vine tomatoes, which often are the best tomatoes the rest of the year. Think, instead, about the round, irregularly shaped tomatoes, heavy and thick, that end up on the shelves of LJB Farms or at the Morgan Hill Farmer’s Market.
You want to cut them into thick slices and layer with mozzarella cheese on a platter drizzled with balsamic vinegar. You want to chunk them with garlic and fresh basil to pile on top of crisp French bread crostini. Or maybe you just want to take a big bite and sprinkle with sea salt as you eat the whole thing, dripping, over the kitchen sink.
If you wanted to plant tomatoes, but haven’t yet, you still have time.
Tomatoes can be planted through the end of July. For beginners, experts recommend choosing one or two varieties, then planting them every three weeks from February (or now) through July. You’ll be harvesting into the fall, a bonus continuation of summer. Following, some tomato tidbits:
•Last summer, the green thumb in our house (not me) bought the “Tomato Success Kit” from Gardener’s Supply (www.gardeners.com). It’s about $65 and comes with everything you’ll need to grow tomatoes without a garden plot.
Pot, watering system, fertilizer, climbing trellis – it’s all there. The only thing you need to do is decide what kind of tomatoes you want to grow; the seeds are available at any garden store. We grew copious amounts of tomatoes.
•Locally, heirloom tomatoes are available at Belle Vie Gardens and Nursery in San Martin. Call (408) 683-5610 for business hours; 14035 Columbet Ave. in San Martin.
•If you want to taste tomatoes ’til you drop, get advance tickets for the Carmel TomatoFest, which attracts tomato lovers from around the world.
It will be held on Sunday, Sept. 14 at Quail Lodge. Tickets purchased today, May 20, are $65. After today, they will be $75 each. Tickets have sold out a month prior to the event for the past several years, so don’t delay if you want to go. Call (888) 989-8171 or go to www.tomatofest.com.
•Old-fashioned tomato salad: This recipe for a tomato salad features the English standby, Salad Cream. You can double the recipe, because it will keep just perfectly in the refrigerator for about a week and you can use it twice. I know many readers are partial to olive oil-based dressings, but this one is nice for a change. Use it on sliced beefsteak tomatoes or small cherry tomatoes, halved.
Salad Cream
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
1 T. flour
1 tsp. granulated sugar
Salt and pepper
1 cup whole milk
1 egg, beaten
4 T. cider or tarragon vinegar
1 T. sunflower or canola oil (or any mild oil)
Fill a sink with cold water. Combine mustard, flour and sugar with 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper in a saucepan. Add a quarter of the milk and whisk into a smooth paste; heat over low heat while adding a little milk at a time until all milk has been added. Add the beaten egg and the vinegar and whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and put pan into cold water in the sink; continue to whisk as the mixture cools.
When cool, either use immediately or refrigerate until your tomatoes are ready. Mix just before drizzling over tomatoes.
•Paper bag pie: Francis Cabrini wrote to ask for a recipe for apple pie that’s baked in a paper bag; she wants to take it to a family reunion picnic. This version is from Dawn Davis in the Luigi Aprea School Cookbook from 1996. It calls for apples in chunks, but I slice them thinly instead.
Paper Bag Apple Pie
1 8 or 9-inch unbaked pie shell
5-6 apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
Peel and cut apples into chunks. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and vanilla with cut apples. Use a little lemon juice to keep the apples from turning brown. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Mix together the stick of butter, sugar and flour and sprinkle over the top of the pie. Put in a paper bag and close with paper clips. Put on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 55 minutes. Open the bag and cool pie on a rack. You can put it back in the bag to transport it to your perfect picnic.
•Party time: Some Friday night, invite some friends over for crackers, cheese and these stuffed mushrooms. This recipe is from an office Christmas party years ago. They’re always a hit.
Happy Hour Mushrooms
1/2 lb. small to medium mushrooms
2 T. butter, melted
4 T. butter, soft
1 small clove of garlic, minced
3 T. Monterey Jack cheese, finely grated
2 T. red wine
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/3 cup fine cracker crumbs
Remove stems from mushrooms and brush caps with melted butter. Combine soft butter and garlic, add the cheese and mix well. Add the wine, soy sauce and cracker crumbs to butter mixture and make a paste. Stuff mushrooms with the paste and place on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Put under broiler 5 inches from heat, for about 3 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Tip of the Week:
To core head lettuce, smack the head stem end down on the counter top, then twist the core out.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• Find authentic Greek food, dancing and crafts at the 32nd annual San Jose Greek Festival on May 30, 31 and June 1. Adults are $5, children $3. The festival will be held at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1260 Davis St. in San Jose. For details: www.saintnicholas.org or (408) 246-2770.
• What are the causes of spreading, thin cookies? Dropping cookie dough onto a hot cookie sheet; not chilling dough when called for; not baking at correct temperature.
End note: I think this quote applies aptly to tomato growing: “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau
