Tomato Tempters

As I write this, it's mid-September, the time of year when tomato plants here in California are groaning under the weight of the fruits of their labor. It's a hedonistic time for tomato lovers who simply can't get enough of a good thing. Here are a few ideas for ways to use one of nature's sweetest bounties. Enjoy!

TOMATO-TOMATILLO TOSS   If you've never tasted a tomatillo (toh-mah-TEE-oh), you're in for a treat. Its exceedingly fresh flavor hints of lemon, apple, and herbs. The tomatillo belongs to the same family as the tomato. In fact, it resembles a small green tomato in size, shape, and appearance, except for the fact that it has a thin partchmentlike husk. Unlike tomatoes, tomatillos are eaten when still green and quite firm; their texture is crisp. They can be found in specialty produce stores, Latin-American markets, and some supermarkets. Choose firm fruit with dry, tight-fitting husks and store in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Makes 4 To 6 Servings
Salad Dressing
1 large clove garlic
2/3 cup olive or other vegetable oil
1/3 cup dairy sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
    In a food processor fitted with metal blade, drop garlic into running machine. Process until garlic is chopped and clinging to sides of bowl; scrape down sides of bowl. OR, mince garlic and turn into a blender jar. Add remaining dressing ingredients; process 20 seconds, or until creamy. Cover and refrigerate; whisk before using. (Makes About 1¼ Cups)

Salad Components
3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped (peeling optional)
4 fresh tomatillos, husked, washed and chopped
1 small jicama, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chervil or parsley
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
salad greens (optional)
    Make salad dressing; refrigerate until ready to use. At least 1 hour and up to 6 hours before serving, combine 1/2 cup salad dressing and remaining ingredients except salad greens. Toss to thoroughly coat ingredients with dressing; add more dressing to taste. Cover and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving. If desired, serve on a bed of salad greens.
© Sharon Tyler Herbst

TWICE-TOMATO BRUSCHETTA (broo-SKEH-tah) This warm, fragrant bread can be served as an appetizer, soup, or salad accompaniment, or simply when you want to snack on something wonderful.
Serves s 6
12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices French or Italian bread
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or tarragon, or 1/2 teaspoon minced dried herbs
6 to 8 large cloves roasted garlic
3 large tomatoes, seeded, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
about 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheesed
     Place oven rack 4 inches from broiling element; preheat broiler. Place bread slices on a large baking sheet. Broil until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oven. Leave broiler on.
     In a small saucepan, combine oil, sun-dried tomatoes, and rosemary or tarragon. Cook over low heat 10 minutes. OR, combine ingredients in a 1-cup glass measure. Cover with plastic wrap; microwave at high for 1 minute. Let stand 5 minutes.
    Squeeze garlic from skins into small bowl. Use a fork to mash garlic, blending in 2 to 3 teaspoons of the oil. Spread a thin layer of garlic over one side of each slice of toast. Top with a single layer of tomato slices; spoon some of the sun-dried tomato mixture over tomato. Salt and pepper to taste; sprinkle lightly with Parmesan. Return to oven; broil 1 to 3 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown. Serve immediately.
© Sharon Tyler Herbst

SUPER-QUICK TOMATO BRUSCHETTA Fast and delicious . . . what could be better? The ingredient amounts really depend on your taste--the topping can be sparse or liberal.
Makes 6-8 appetizer servings
1 10-oz. tube Pillsbury Pizza Crust
olive oil
1 large tomato, seeded, diced and well-blotted on paper towels
2 Tbsp. fresh herbs (such as basil, tarragon or savory)
1 small clove garlic, minced
about 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or aged Asiago
Preheat oven to 400^oF; lightly oil a baking sheet. Unroll pizza dough; place in center of baking sheet. Press any open seams together but don't stretch out the dough. Lightly brush dough with olive oil, then sprinkle with tomatoes, herbs, garlic and cheese, in that order. Bake about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cut into 2-bite-size squares or rectangles. Serve warm.
© Sharon Tyler Herbst

ALMOST INSTANT ICED TOMATO SOUP Too easy to be so good, but who’s arguing? If you can find a good low- or non-fat sour cream, you can save on the calories (I actually like the brand “Naturally Yours,” something I never thought I’d say about nonfat sour cream). This recipe doubles easily (make in batches) and can be refrigerated for up to two days.
Serves 6
2 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
2 cups V-8 juice
1 cup sour cream
grated zest from 1 medium lemon
1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves (or 1 to 2 tsp. dried leaves)
1 small clove garlic
1 tsp. sugar
salt
freshly ground pepper
6 sprigs tarragon (optional)
Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a blender. Cover and process (starting at low speed and gradually increasing to high) until smooth. If a silky-smooth texture is desired, pour through a fine strainer into a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until cold. If soup is too thick, stir in more V-8 juice until desired texture is obtained. Serve cold, garnished with tarragon sprigs, if desired.
© Sharon Tyler Herbst

TOMATO ”GIN”GER SLUSH This is a great little starter for a summer meal. The pink, thinly sliced ginger for this recipe has been picked in sweet vinegar marinade and is also called amazu shoga. You can find it in some supermarkets’ ethnic sections or in Asian markets.
Serves 6 to 8
1 pound tomatoes, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons pink pickled ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dry gin
salt and pepper
6 to 8 watercress or cilantro sprigs (optional)
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, ginger and gin; salt and pepper to taste. Cover and freeze, stirring occasionally, until solid, about 2 hours. Ten minutes before serving, remove tomato mixture from freezer and let stand at room temperature. Use a large spoon to break mixture into chunks; turn into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Using quick on/off pulses, process until mixture is slushy. Do not overprocess or it will begin to liquify. Spoon into 6 to 8 tiny liqueur glasses or demitasse cups; garnish as desired. Serve immediately.
© Sharon Tyler Herbst, from Never Eat More Than You Can Lift

BLOND BOMBSHELL   A Bloody Mary rendition I created one summer when yellow tomatoes were abundant and I wanted something different to serve. Gin's my preference, but rum or vodka also work well.
Serves 4
1 lb. yellow tomatoes, cored and quartered
6 oz. (3/4 cup) gin
2 oz. (1/4 cup) fresh lemon or lime juice
1 oz. (2 Tbsp.) white wine Worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 1 tsp. green Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp. each celery salt and white pepper
8 ice cubes
4 yellow tomato wedges, optional
    Place 1 lb. tomatoes in blender; cover and process at medium speed until puréed. Add remaining ingredients except tomato wedges. Cover and process about 15 seconds, or until ice breaks into large chunks. Pour into chilled glasses; garnish with tomato wedges.
© Sharon Tyler Herbst, from The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide

FROZEN ASSETS

Too many tomatoes and not enough time to eat them? The tried-and-true way of saving those end-of-the-season tomatoes is to purée them, then freeze in 1/2-cup portions. However, my friend Lee Janvrin taught me a neat trick and that's to freeze them whole. Yes, it’s true that chilling tomatoes reduces their flavor, but Lee’s frozen, vine-picked fruit are better by far than any wintertime, flavor-wimpy hothouse pretenders.

Here’s Lee’s technique: Place fresh-picked, ripe but firm tomatoes in a freezer-weight plastic bag and freeze until solid. If you want the tomatoes cored, do so before freezing, but don’t wash them. When ready to use, briefly run the frozen tomato under lukewarm (not hot!) water, which not only washes the tomato, but loosens the skin. Use your fingers or a paring knife to pull off the skin, then add the frozen tomato to a sauce, soup or any other dish where you would normally use puréed tomatoes (freezing breaks down the tomato’s cells so that they don’t hold their shape). One caveat: thawing the tomatoes before using them allows much of their juice to escape. By the way, I’ve since discovered another use for frozen tomatoes—they make a killer Bloody Mary!