Summer 2010
Tomatoes
By Melissa Pasanen
Photographed by Andrew Wellman
We treasure those things we can savor only briefly - and a perfectly ripe, sun-warmed Vermont tomato surely ranks high on that list.
“You only have that short window in late July and August when you just have to eat as many as possible,” says chef Aaron Josinsky of Burlington’s Bluebird Tavern. “They remind me of my childhood garden, of that remarkable olfactory sense memory from when you pick a tomato and break off the stem. Nothing else smells quite like that.”
“Nothing compares to a homegrown tomato,” agrees chef Caleb Barber of Pane e Salute in Woodstock. “It’s the short intensity of the season that just packs the flavor in there. They should taste like dirt and sunshine.”
Recipes for peak-season tomatoes are often superfluous. Chef Steven Obranovich of Claire’s Restaurant in Hardwick likes them best eaten out of hand with a sprinkle of Maine sea salt and some cracked black pepper. “Their union of sweetness and acidity,” he observes, “makes you feel like you’re tasting a moment in time.”
All too soon, the season is over and most gardeners and farmers are left with the stragglers, the green tomatoes, which may turn red eventually but won’t ever evoke that same feeling of biting into summer. As Obranovich ably demonstrates, green tomatoes have their own place in the kitchen, but they are foremost, as he puts it, “the harbinger of change, a change of the season, and a farewell to what was.”
Heirloom Tomato and Grilled Fruit Salad
Chef Aaron Josinsky, Bluebird Tavern, Burlington
Of course, Josinsky says, this is really just a savory fruit salad, since tomatoes are a fruit. This is not so much a precise recipe as an inspirational guideline. Josinsky varies the components, depending on which varieties of tomatoes and which stone fruit or melon are at peak ripeness, and stresses the importance of using a mix of tomatoes. Bluebird works closely with Half Pint Farm in Burlington’s Intervale, which grows a wonderful diversity from jade-gold striated Aunt Ruby’s German Greens to dark purple Paul Robesons to bite-size gems like Sungolds, Snow Whites and Juliets.
Start with a variety of perfectly ripe tomatoes in different shapes and colors. Core the larger ones and cut all of them in different shapes: chunks, slices, halves of cherry or grape tomatoes. Put the tomatoes in a bowl, sprinkle well with good sea salt and dress sparingly with a lightly flavored olive oil and low acidity vinegar, like a raspberry vinegar or high-quality white-wine vinegar. Let the tomatoes sit at room temperature while you grill the fruit. (The salt will bring out both the sweetness of the tomatoes and their juices.) Cut “steaks” (1-inch thick slabs) from a ripe cantaloupe or watermelon or quarter and stone plums (not super juicy varieties) or stone peaches before slicing into sixths or eighths depending on size. Brush fruit lightly with olive oil and season with more sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill briefly over high heat just until some grill marks appear, indicating a little caramelization. Flip fruit and repeat. Cut melon slabs into bite-size cubes. For each serving, take a salad plate and smear about a tablespoon of fresh, creamy and mildly tangy cheese across the plate. Josinsky uses housemade ricotta and suggests locally made ricottas from Vermont Shepherd or Maplebrook Farm, or Champlain Valley Creamery’s fresh cream cheese. Top the cheese with about ¼ cup of the tomato mixture (without its juices), a few slices of grilled fruit, then tomatoes again. Spoon a little of the tomato juices/vinaigrette over top. Season with additional salt and pepper and garnish with a few shreds of fresh basil, tarragon or oregano leaves as desired.
Pomodori Heirloom Tonnati or Fresh Tomatoes in Tuna Mayonnaise
Chef Caleb Barber, Pane e Salute, Woodstock
In Barber’s twist on the classic Italian Vitello Tonnato — veal in tuna mayonnaise — slices of fresh tomato stand in for the meat and are drizzled with a briny, creamy sauce. It makes a perfect light lunch with good crusty bread or a lovely first course for an al fresco summer dinner. Barber and his wife and restaurant co-owner Deirdre Heekin grow many of the restaurant’s tomatoes, and for this recipe, he says, the tomatoes should be quite firm, possibly even a touch green as Italians sometimes prefer.
Serves 4-6 as an appetizer, side salad or light lunch course.
3 large egg yolks
Juice of 1 lemon
2 or 3 pinches of salt, plus more to taste
½ cup plus additional olive oil as needed
1 (5-ounce) can Italian tuna packed in oil, drained and squeezed of excess oil
1 Tablespoon capers, drained
1 anchovy filet
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6-8 large fresh tomatoes, cored and sliced ¼-inch thick
In a food processor (or in a medium-sized bowl and using a whisk), beat the yolks, lemon juice and salt together. Slowly beat in the olive oil, a few drops at a time if you are working by hand, or gradually by a thin drizzle with the blade running if you are working with the food processor, until the desired texture of a light mayonnaise is achieved. (Start with ½ cup olive oil in a steady stream and stop the blade as soon as the oil is finished.) If the mayonnaise is not thick enough, drizzle in a little more oil, taking care not to overmix. (If overmixed, the emulsion may break apart and no longer suspend the oil.)
Pour 2⁄3 of this simple mayonnaise into a separate bowl and set aside. Add the tuna, capers and anchovy to the mayonnaise in the food processor. Process together until smooth, then fold in reserved mayonnaise until a saucy texture is reached, neither stiff nor runny. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Spoon the mayonnaise over the tomato slices and serve. Any remaining mayonnaise can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. (Recipe first published in “Pane e Salute: Food and Love in Italy and Vermont” by Deirdre Heekin and Caleb Barber, Invisible Cities Press, 2002.)
Green Tomato Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake Chef Steven Obranovich, Claire’s Restaurant, Hardwick
This impressive-looking version of cornbread features the harbinger of the changing season: green tomatoes; although, it could also be made with slightly unripe, very firm red tomatoes too. It goes beautifully with grilled meats or with chili or could even star in brunch with a side of chorizo-scrambled eggs.
Serves 10-12 as a side dish.
For tomato topping:
4 Tablespoons salted butter
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 Tablespoons red-wine vinegar
½ small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ small jalapeņo or Thai bird chili, minced with seeds for hot version, without for mild (optional)
3 medium green tomatoes, the firmer the better, cored and cut into 6 wedges each
For cake batter:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cornmeal (preferably medium-coarse grind)
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon smoked or sweet paprika
16 Tablespoons (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
½ cup white sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup plain yogurt (preferably whole milk) or sour cream
1 medium green tomato, cored and diced small
½ small red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup coarsely grated cheddar (about 2 ounces)
½ small jalapeņo or Thai bird chili, minced with seeds for hot version, without for mild (optional)
¾ cup chopped mixed herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, thyme (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Make tomato topping: In a well-seasoned 10-11-inch cast-iron pan (see testing note), melt butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and swirl pan for a couple of minutes until the mixture is browned, but not black. Remove the pan from heat. Add vinegar and stir to distribute. Cool for about 10-15 minutes. (Sugar may crystallize.) Scatter the onion, garlic and jalapeņo evenly across the pan and arrange the tomato wedges on top in concentric circles, wagon wheel fashion. Set aside.
Make the cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through paprika). In an electric standing mixer or using an electric handheld mixer, cream the butter with the sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time followed by the flour mixture and the yogurt alternately in three batches, ending with the flour. By hand, stir in the diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, cheddar, jalapeņo and herbs, if using. Spread the batter evenly over tomatoes in pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife point or cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan and invert onto a plate. Best served warm, but will keep a day at cool room temperature.
Testing note: Traditionally, cooks avoid using acidic ingredients in cast iron since the acid can react with the iron and possibly cause off-flavors or discoloration. As long as the cast iron is well-seasoned, however, it should be able to handle a little acid like the vinegar used in this recipe. If you don’t have cast iron, a heavy, oven-proof sauté pan or frying pan of the same dimensions will work.
Special thanks to Sarah Strauss for help with recipe testing.
