If you are like me, right about now you have a garden filled with ripe tomatoes and you just don’t know another fast and easy way to prepare them. We all know that homegrown or farm stand tomatoes are so much more delicious than store bought.
Besides making lots of bacon,lettuce & tomato sandwiches or canning your darlings, there are other options. Tomato Salsa is a wonderful hors d’oeuvre. If you don’t have a lot of time, you may substitute store bought croustades for the freshly baked ones that are in the recipe.
Culinary Architect’s Gazpacho is one of those soups that just get better and better each day.
So, make a batch on the weekend and enjoy it during the week.
The Tomatoes Provencal are one of my favorite dishes from The South of France. Fresh, ripe and herby goodness.
Try making one or all of the following recipes and you will be glad you grew all of those delicious tomatoes.
Menu
Serves 4
Tomato Salsa on Croustades
Culinary Architect’s Gazpacho
Tomatoes Provencal
Culinary Architect’s Gorgeous
Tomato,Onion & Basil
Pinwheel
Tomato Salsa
on Croustades
1/2 baguette, sliced into
1/4” pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 plum tomato, cut into
1/4” diced pieces
12 yellow cherry tomatoes,
cut into 1/6s, if available
1 small onion, diced
1 large Jalapeno, seeds
and ribs removed, diced
1 tblsp. Italian parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brush olive oil on bread. Place on Silpat and bake until light brown – approximately 10 minutes.
3. Place remaining olive oil in a bowl and add remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Cover and let flavors blend.
4. To serve: Place a dollop of salsa on croustade and serve. Or if you are really lazy, place salsa in a bowl and coustades in a basket.
Culinary Architect’s Gazpacho
1 clove garlic
1 large tomato, cut
into quarters
1 large Japanese (hot
house or English) cucumber,
cut into quarters
1/2 large green pepper,
cut in half
1/2 cup tomato/veggie juice
5 oz. beef consomme
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tblsp. each fresh basil,
fresh thyme
1 tsp. Tabasco
Pinch of salt and pepper
Japanese Cucumber,
cut into slices for garnish
1. In a Cuisinart, fitted with a steel blade, place garlic, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper. With on-off movements, pulse and coarsely chop.
2. Add remaining ingredients and combine. Refrigerate until serving.
3. Cut out garnishes from cucumber slices. (If you are really lazy, just skip the garnish)
4. To serve, ladle in bowls and top with cucumber garnish.
Tomatoes Provencal
2 large tomatoes, cut in
half and stem removed
1/2 cup flavored bread
crumbs
3 tblsp Herbs de Provence
1 tblsp Parmesan cheese
(if desired)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place tomatoes in a dish, skin side down.
3. Mix bread crumbs, Herbs de Provence and Parmesan Cheese in a bowl.
4. Divide bread crumbs; drizzle with olive oil
5. Bake 40 minutes or until done. Just before serving, drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Culinary Architect’s Tomato, Onion & Basil Pinwheel
2 ripe Beefsteak tomatoes,
sliced into thick slices
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
3 tblsp sugar
1/2 bunch fresh basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1. Soak red onion in water to cover. Add sugar for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
2. Drain onions. Platter tomatoes, onions and basil by alternating in a pinwheel.
3. Right before serving, drizzle with olive oil.
Alexandra Troy is owner of Culinary Architect Catering, a 32-year old Greenvale-based company, specializing in private, corporate and promotional parties. For more photos and presentation ideas, follow Culinary Architect Catering on Facebook.