Plant ’em in the spring eat ’em in the summer, All winter without ’em’s a culinary bummer… From “HomeGrown Tomatoes” | John Denver
I don’t know about you but I have been like a kid in a candy shop with the flood on homegrown tomatoes now available in local markets. I long ago gave up on growing my own, deciding to leave the important work of seeding and sowing such seasonal pleasures to the professionals. Now I buy at every market from a host of farmers and you should too!
There is nothing quite like that first taste of a homegrown tomato after a winter and spring without the real thing; but after a month or so it feels like you just can’t eat them fast enough.
Truth is though, with one master recipe, you can use this season’s perfect fruit (or vegetable) to create a host of dishes to enjoy. And the best news is that these pan roasted tomatoes freeze well. So cook ’em down and pack ’em up and enjoy this, oh so special, taste of summer throughout the rest of the year as well.
In 2017 I had the pleasure of appearing as a judge for Charlotte’s first ever HomeGrown Tomato Festival to benefit 100Gardens.org in Charlotte. This article was originally written to promote that first festival, but the recipes and the video at the end are still keepers and worthy of putting in your store of things to create with homegrown tomatoes. More about the festival which takes place this year on July 28, 2018 at the end of this post along with the video segments that aired to promote it, but first -lets get on to the recipes of how best to eat ( and drink) up the sensational taste of summer tomatoes.
First thing…How do you know when homegrown tomatoes are ripe?
You can’t always tell by the color because many heirloom varieties are not red – they are often green, yellow or striped. Look follow your nose, they should smell wonderfully tomato-ey and should be firm to the touch – although when you are shopping, don’t go around squeezing the tomatoes – farmers hate that and while we are on topic the same goes for peaches!
Now that you know how to choose and how to tell when your homegrown tomatoes are ripe, let’s start with a cocktail, shall we? Now I am not a bartender or mixologist by trade, but if you’ve got a good recipe and use great ingredients, making a refreshing summer cocktail is just like cooking a meal. You can do it, too, and here’s how…
Heidi’s Summer Smash | Homegrown Tomato and Watermelon Cosmopolitan
1 small local watermelon (check out the watermelons from Rowland’s Row Farm, available at the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market and the Davidson Farmers’ market or the melons from Barbee Farms, available at the Davidson Market or at the Barbee Farms farm store in Concord)
1 ½ lbs. local red, pink or yellow heirloom tomatoes ( in truth the color doesn’t matter – its about the taste of the ‘mater; but for this cocktail, rosier hues help keep it in the pink!)
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup Your favorite Vodka ( lots of great choices distilled right here in North Carolina)
lime
1 local jalapeno, sliced and candied*
Cut the pulp of the watermelon from the rind; remove any seeds ( see my tomato seeding tip below) and puree the watermelon until it is smooth. Refrigerate or freeze the puree.
Cut smaller cherry tomatoes in half or seed larger tomatoes; then cut them into chunks. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat and add the tomatoes. Allowing the tomatoes to cook for 15 mins or so in the simply syrup made when the sugar melts into the water. Ad the tomatoes cook down, their flavor transfers to the syrup. Remove the syrup from the heat and allow it to cool. The longer the tomato pieces sit in the syrup, the more tomato-ey goodness they will impart.
For two ( or maybe three) cocktails: combine 1 cup of watermelon puree with 1 cup of the candied tomato syrup ( use the candied pieces of tomato themselves for a garnish) Add the vodka and shake well. I like to do this in a large canning jar as I find it easier to shake than a cocktail mixer; but if your watermelon puree is frozen, you could also whip it up in a blender. Blend well; pour over ice. Add a squeeze of fresh lime.
Garnish with a candied tomato and a candied slice of jalapeno if you want to spice things up! **To candy the jalapeno, make the same simple syrup mixture you did for the tomatoes, but this time add in fresh sliced jalapenos instead.
Now that we all have a cocktail in hand, lets get down to cooking with all of this season’s wonderful tomato – you will find them everyone, just be sure you are buying local. In these photos you will see local tomatoes from Windcrest Farm in Monroe, New Town Farm in Waxhaw and Tega Hills Farm in Ft Mill ( all available at the Matthews’ Community Farmers’ Market), from Burton Farms ( available at the Cotswold Farmers’ Market and the Charlotte Regional Farmers’ Market on Yorkmont Road) and from Rowland’s Row Family Farm ( available at the Matthews’ Community Farmers’ Market and the Davidson Farmers’ Market)
Heidi Billotto’s Master Recipe for Pan-Roasted Summer Homegrown Tomatoes
3 Tbsp. Olive Crate Kores Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small local yellow onion, diced ( optional)
2 cloves local garlic, optional ( optional)
OuterBanks SeaSalt & Heidi’s Hot Pepper Blend (made from a blend of three peppercorns found at the Savory Spice Shop in Southend Charlotte)
3-4 Lbs. local tomatoes, diced or quartered
Place 2-3 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large pot and saute diced onion and garlic with salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. If you don’t want to add the onions and garlic, then just start with the oil.
Add all of the tomatoes to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften. Puree the onion-garlic-tomato mixture with an immersion blender or food processor and use as a spread on toast for a wonderful appetizer all on its own or proceed with any of the following recipes…
Homegrown Tomatoes: Just-Like-Disney-Did-It Country French Farmers’ Market Ratatouille
One pan of Heidi’s Master Recipe for Pan-Roasted Summer Tomatoes
Your choice of any of these veggies ( all readily found at any of Charlotte’s local farmers’ markets):
2-3 local Haikuri Turnips
1 local eggplant, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 zucchini, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 yellow squash, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. Olive Crate Kores Estate olive oil, or to taste
2 Tbsp. Herbs de Provence
¼ cup Uno Alla Volta cottage cheese ( available in cheese and gourmet shops all around Charlotte as well as on Saturday mornings at the Matthews’ Community Farmers’ Market and the Charlotte Regional Farmers’ Market on Yorkmont Road)
Spread the pan roasted tomatoes on the bottom of an oven to table casserole.
Arrange alternating slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper, starting at the outer edge of the dish and working concentrically towards the center. Overlap the slices a little to display the colors. ( Remember how the little chef did it in the movie Ratatouille? Layer your veggies, just like that!) Drizzle the vegetables with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Dollop with the Uno Alla Volta cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with Herbs de province. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until veggies are roasted and tender and slightly browned. Top with the remaining pan roasted tomatoes just before serving.
Heidi’s Summer Homegrown Tomato Bisque
One pan of Heidi’s Master Recipe for Pan-Roasted Summer Tomatoes
2-3 firm, ripe tomatoes, diced
5 large Italian basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade (roll the leaves up and then thinly slice them and viola! You have a chiffonade of basil!)
2 cups water
drizzle of Olive Crate Chile Pepper organic vinegar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt ( or try the new local yogurt-style cheese created by Zack Gadberry of Uno Alla Volta and available exclusively at the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market)
Start by heating the tomato puree you made in the Master recipe. Add the remaining diced tomatoes, basil leaves, and water. Simmer 10-12 minutes.
Remove from heat; spoon into bowls. Top each with a drizzle of the chile pepper balsamic vinegar. Serve with Greek yogurt and additional fresh basil on top.
Homemade Tomato Ketchup and Fries
For the Ketchup:
2 Tbsp. Pour Olive Blood Orange infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ local red onion, minced
¼ cup minced local celery
One pan of Heidi’s Master Recipe for Pan-Roasted Summer Tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup organic sugar
3/4 cup Olive Crate Honey vinegar
2 Tbsp. sea salt
Heidi’s Hot Pepper Blend, to taste
Saute onions and celery in olive oil until tender. Add tomatoes, stir to mix.
Add remaining ingredients. Cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by half and very thick.
Smooth the texture of the ketchup using an immersion blender, about 20 seconds.
Adjust seasonings to suit your tastes
For the Fries:
Peel and rinse 4-5 local potatoes. Cut the potatoes into your desired shape.
Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours.
Drain the potatoes and blot dry on several thicknesses of paper towels.
Heat a few inches of organic canola oil in a heavy pot. ( you can tell that the oil is hot enough by placing a dry wooden spoon in the oil as it heats. When little bubbles start to form around the spoon, then the oil is hot enough for frying) Cook the potatoes in small batches for just 4-5 minutes – they will not be brown, but remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Then refry them in hot oil until brown. Salt to taste and serve with your homemade ketchup!
More about the annual Home Grown Tomato Festival to benefit 100Gardens.org in Charlotte.
Come on out and join in the fun at 1 pm on July 28, 2017 at Noda Brewing in Charlotte.
In July of 2017, I appeared on the Charlotte Today show in this segment to promote the first ever Home Grown Tomato Festival with creator and farmer Sam Fleming of 100Gardens.org in Charlotte and mixologist Stefan Heubner, Sam tells show hosts Colleen Odegaard and Eugene Robinson more about his aquaponic operation and how he is teaching kids how to farm. I talked about all of the dishes I’ve showed you here and Stefan shares another great tomato cocktail recipe. Enjoy! For more info about the 2018 festival – check out all the details here
Wow – terrific!