Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

Don't worry. This isn't an ode to the mutant tomato cartoon of my childhood. I didn't even watch that to be honest. Instead, this is a small meditation on the beauty and delicious summer perfection that is a tomato in July. There are an infinite number of ways to enjoy the summer tomato, and undoubtedly ballads of devotion are a dime a dozen at this point. But oh well. We'll throw our ten cents in too.

Personally, as I start thinking of the different ways to enjoy its juicy perfection, I find myself echoing the memorable shrimp dialogue from Forest Gump, citing the infinite ways to enjoy it on a sandwich or a pizza and the ultimate tomato pie.Of course one of the best compliments to the tomato is bacon. Of course. The smoky salty taste pairs with the slight acidity, reminiscent of plain sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt (a staple summer side for Sunday dinner). So, for out first killer tomato dish, we prepared a summer tomato and bacon focaccia. Simple and enjoyable as the best outdoor summer fair should be.

Summer Tomato & Bacon Focaccia
1 recipe pizza dough ready to cook
1 Large perfectly ripe tomato, sliced thin
4 Slices bacon, fried crisp and broken into small pieces
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt & pepper

1. Place pizza stone in the oven and preheat oven to 475. 
2. Toss pizza dough and roll thin. Allow to rise slightly. 
3. Combine balsamic and olive oil and sprinkle on prepared dough. Top with sliced tomatoes and bacon. 
4. Sprinkle tomatoes with sea salt and pepper. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. 
5.Serve immediately


But, to really pay tribute to the tomato, we should take a moment to appreciate it in all it's summer forms. Naturally the heirloom tomatoes have their place, but, we should take a moment to enjoy the other versions of the fruit as well. Particularly, in its green form as well.


While I'm not a huge fan of fried foods, fried green tomatoes are the quintessential way to enjoy a green tomato. Until Daniel's pickled green tomatoes a little while ago and this recipe for a green tomato salad with pistachio relish  in last month's Food & Wine, I didn't have the faintest idea there was another way to enjoy the tart version of summer's treat. Suffice it to say, the curious compliment of the sweet nutty vinegary dressing with the tart tomato made for a refreshing summer dish that was even better the second day. There was probably enough left for two meals...I managed to polish it off in one. Even if you're skeptical about green tomatoes, this one is well worth the try!!! You can find the recipe here. We didn't have the champagne vinegar, so I substituted a white wine vinegar with a teeny pinch of sugar. For an extra kick, I added a little bit of sumac to the dressing as well.

Whatever direction your summer market finds take you, hopefully you'll take advantage of developing a repertoire of your favorite summer dish too. Enjoy!!!

Breakfast for Supper

To spurn social norms, last night I decided to cooks a savory fritatta- and to go with the grain a focaccia, if you will excuse the pun. I had a ball of pizza dough in the fridge, that Dawn had made about a week ago, and some cubanelle peppers from the farmer's market ranging from a granny smith apple green shade to almost a terra cotta red hue. They looked perfect for a simple focaccia with their realm of colors. My pizza stone was already in the oven so I turned the oven to broil and charred the peppers on all sides them threw them in a paper bag to steam for about 12 minutes. After they had steamed, the peppers were so delicate and slick as oysters. They were marvelous when wedded with crisp tangy parmesan and romano studded focaccia.

With bacon and eggs handy in the fridge and some slivers of roasted cubanelle left over from the focaccia, a fritatta seemed to be a fitting accompaniment. The textual spectrum of soft peppers, crunchy bacon, and fluffy eggs says comfort food as only breakfast can. But why eat it only at breakfast?

Roasted Pepper and Bacon Fritatta
5 eggs

4 slices bacon

1 C roasted cubanelle peppers- as explained earlier

1/4 C fresh grated armesan and romano cheese

 Preheat oven to broil. Dice bacon finely and cook until crisp in oven proof skillet. Spread bacon and roasted peppers evenly in skillet. Beat eggs in bowl until frothy and add to skillet and cook until eggs are half cooked. Place eggs in oven and cook until top begins to firm, approximately five minutes. 

Cubanelle and Parmesan Focaccia

Pizza crust recipe here.

2 roasted cubanelle peppers

1/3 C. parmesan and roman cheese blend- needed into crust

 Coat pizza peel liberally with corn meal and slide focaccia rolled out to 1/2 inch thickness onto corn mealed pizza stone. Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until focaccia is golden.