It’s summer. It’s hot. Tomatoes are at their best. They’re delicious sliced and eaten plain or with a little salt. But if you’re looking for ways to make the most of your summer tomato harvest, have you ever thought about a tomato slab pie? Or a gazpacho? Or an Indian-Italian eggplant and tomato caponata? We’ve got two dozen tomato recipes to tickle your sweet, summertime fancy.
If, like Evan Kleiman, you don’t feel like spending days with a team of multiple people in an annual tomato pickling frenzy, don’t worry. These recipes are much easier. And maybe consider going to a Tomatomania event where you can get some seeds to grow your own.
Whether tomatoes are in season or not, you can brighten them up with beets. Photo by Evan Kleiman
SALADS
Beetroot and tomato salad
This is Evan Kleiman’s version of a “Salad of Two Reds.” She prefers to roast her beets rather than boil them because the flavor is sweeter and the color is more intense. The sweetness of the tomatoes tames the earthiness of the beets. Feel free to use any color tomato you like and don’t be afraid to change up the seasonings. White beans are a great addition. Get the recipe
Zucchini tomato salad
In Jacques Pepin Fastfood my waythe chef shared this light and delicious summer recipe with just a few ingredients: zucchini, tomatoes, mozzarella, cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Get the recipe
Summer steak salad
Hot steak over salad is a great concept: the juices from the meat flavor the vegetables, which return the favor by providing a refreshing counterbalance to the rich beef. You can vary the flavors in this easy main course salad endlessly throughout the summer. Here, Amelia Saltsman, author of The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbookcombined with lime, ginger, Thai basil and early summer peas. Get the recipe
Not your everyday caprésé
Chef Holly Jivin is originally from Savannah, Georgia. Her version of a caprese involves blanching cherry tomatoes for 7 seconds and then marinating them in a mixture of mirin and balsamic vinegar. Get the recipe
Tomato bread salad
What’s better than tomato bread? This one, from Greek chef Diane Kochilas, features green apples, red onions, capers, mint, oregano, and of course, olive oil. Scroll down for the recipe. Get the recipe
Green Tomato Mint Salad
Green tomatoes, tomatoes picked before they’re ripe, are crisp and tangy, but still juicy. How do you use them? Chef Marc Matsumoto recommends cutting them into matchsticks and mixing them with mint and feta cheese. Get the recipe
The tomato sandwich at Birdie G’s tastes as good as it looks. Photo by Elise Freimuth
SOUPS & A SANDWICH
Tomato sandwich
This isn’t really a recipe so much as it is a few tips for getting the most out of this classic Southern summer treat. Use soft white bread like Japanese milk bread, a good quality mayonnaise (Kewpie is great), tomatoes that are the same size as your bread (the beefsteak variety is great), and salt the tomatoes lightly after you cut them. Or go to Birdie G’s where they make a version that uses focaccia made with tomato water, thick slices of benevento tomatoes, a mayonnaise made with the tomato scraps, and a powder made by drying the fruit in water. Get the recipe
Evan Kleiman’s Gazpacho
Evan Kleiman grew up eating chilled beet borscht, but this time of year she turns her attention to tomatoes. She says this recipe is just a guideline. You can add more cucumbers and fewer tomatoes, leave out the onion and garlic if your tomatoes are fantastic, and use any color bell pepper you like. But you MUST use good olive oil, and lots of it, or you’ll end up with a limp salsa. Get the recipe
Pepper-tomato gazpacho with blackened salmon
In Salmon: A CookbookDiane Morgan reports on salmon farms across the country, providing recipes and techniques for preparing this prized fish. In this case, a classic gazpacho goes hand in hand with grilled fish. Get the recipe
There are as many variations of tomato sauce as there are tomatoes. Photos by Shutterstock
SAUCES & BREAD ROLLS
Summer Tomato Sauce by Evan Kleiman
This is a fresh summer tomato sauce that Evan made at Caffe Angeli, using every variety of tomato imaginable. Don’t skimp on the olive oil, either in quality or quantity. Cooking the tomatoes with the oil creates a sauce with a fantastic texture. And it’s fast! The entire cooking process shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. Get the recipe
Thick tomato sauce
Here’s another classic from Evan Kleiman. Do you prefer a chunky sauce to a puree? This is your recipe. Get the recipe
Baingan Bharta Caponata
Baingan bharta is Hindi for “eggplant puree”, a dish consisting of roasted eggplant with onions, tomatoes and various spices. Caponata is a spicy and sweet eggplant dish with Sicilian roots. Food writer and climate activist Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma has merged her Indian roots and love of Italian food into one spicy and sour dish. You can find the recipe in her book Good food, healthy planet. Get the recipe
Green tomato garlic sauce
This green tomato sauce is part of chef Ken Takayama’s (of Citrin and Melisse) recipe for Ratatouille with Stuffed Squash Blossoms. But you don’t have to make the whole ratatouille to make this sauce and pour it over pasta. Get the recipe
tomato Jam
A confiture is basically a jammier jam, i.e. it has a higher fruit content than most jams or preserves. You can use the same technique on tomatoes to make an intense tomato spread. This recipe comes from chef Mark Gold. Get the recipe
Tomato is technically a fruit, which means it makes a great pie. Photo via Shutterstock
CAKES & TARTLETS
Cherry Tomato Tart with Cheddar Garlic Crumble
Evan Kleiman developed this recipe because she wanted to play with the classic tomato, basil, garlic, cheese. With the cheddar crumble topping she used for an apple pie, she took it a step further by adding a cheddar crust. Get the recipe
Pluot, Feta and Tomato Slab Pie
What is a slab pie? It’s simply your current favourite pie dough rolled out into a rectangle and placed on a baking sheet. It’s topped with an Egyptian mezze of feta, tomato and olive oil with sliced pluots. Get the recipe
Cherry tomato crumble
The tomato is technically a fruit, which is one of the reasons this particular pie is so easy to put together. The tomatoes act like berries, bursting as the heat of the oven hits the pie. The juices from the burst beauties mix with a small amount of flour to thicken it. Get the recipe
Tomato Tarte Tatin
Robert Wemischner offers a great new twist on the traditional tarte tatin. Instead of apples, he uses tomatoes. Get the recipe
Green Tomato Pie
Evan Kleiman has made ripe tomato pies and French tomato pies. She has also made fried green tomatoes. But she had never made a green tomato pie until she came across Adrienne Kane’s recipe in her book United States of Pie. Get the recipe
Tomato soup cake
In the early 20th century, community cookbooks were popular items. Often distributed by local women’s groups and strongly connected to specific communities, they featured recipes from home cooks and often served as fundraisers. From radiologists and rock collectors to zookeepers and Air Force wives, these books were written by groups of ordinary people. For Suzanne Joskow, they are sociological treasures. She has collected these self-published efforts in her online Community Cookbook Archive: LA. This recipe for Tomato Soup Cake comes from one of them. Get the recipe
To satisfy their pasta cravings with a lighter option, many Italians opt for rice during the hottest months of the year. Photo by Molly Decoudreaux
TOMATOES ETC.
Cold summer rice with tomatoes and basil
With its vibrant colors and lively flavors, this is a colorful summer dish. Use very ripe tomatoes, which attract fruit flies. Heirloom tomatoes, such as Cherokee Purples or Beefsteaks are a good choice. Get the recipe
Fried green tomatoes with ricotta, tomato jam and chow chow
No and red tomatoes fried in a tempura batter and topped with an herb ricotta, homemade tomato jam and chow chow, a pickled relish popular in the South? Yes please! Get the recipe
One-pot pasta with halloumi and tomato (Hellimli Domatesli Magarına)
In OthelloShakespeare describes Cyprus as a melting pot where East meets West in the middle of the Mediterranean. Influenced by Greek and Turkish cuisine, Cypriot cuisine also includes herbs such as coriander, which was brought back by Asian travellers. In Meliz’s kitchenMeliz Berg focuses on simple Turkish Cypriot comfort food. One of her favorite ingredients is halloumi, a spongy cheese that is eaten fresh or cooked into various dishes. Get the recipe
Roasted tomatoes with twelve flavors
Brian Yarvin, the author of The Too Many Tomatoes Cookbookshared this recipe with Good Food in 2009. Get the recipe
