5 Outstanding Tomato Recipes

As a chef, summer is one of my favorite times of year to cook. The biggest reason? The bounty of ingredients available during summer reflects the feeling of the season. Herbs grow everywhere, and the flavors are fresh, light, and clean. You can combine simple, raw ingredients with grilled and lightly cooked proteins and vegetables. Summer is when the flavors of the food and integrity of the ingredients sing the loudest.

That said, my favorite summer vegetable is actually a fruit: the incomparable summer tomato!

I grew up not loving tomatoes. Even now, I only like to eat raw tomatoes in the summer, when they are bursting with succulent juices. When tomatoes are picked fresh, you can still feel the warmth of the sun on their tender skin.

MORE: How to Keep Tomatoes Fresh Longer

There are too many varieties of tomatoes to name here, but look for heirloom varieties, if you can find them. Heirloom tomatoes are traditional varieties whose seeds have been passed down, often over 50 years. They are pollinated naturally and can reproduce true to type from seeds. Heirloom tomatoes will have diverse colors, shapes, and flavors. Their cultivation supports genetic diversity in agriculture, and they are a favorite among chefs for their rich, complex flavor.

Some of the more popular tomato varieties are:

• Purple Cherokee: dark color and rich, sweet taste
• Brandywine: pink or light red, large and sweet
• Green Zebra: green and yellow striped with an acidic taste
• Yellow Pear: small pear shape with a slight sweetness
• San Marzano: the famous Italian tomato for sauce and pizza
• German Green: large with a slight spice to it

Now, let’s get cooking.

Panzanella

Panzanella is an Italian dish that takes advantage of day-old bread and perfectly ripe tomatoes. The beauty of this dish is there is no strict recipe to follow; it is up to the cook to decide the composition of the dish.

Take a few slices of stale bread — I like to use focaccia or ciabatta — and toast it with some olive oil to enhance the texture and flavor. Cut up a pound of ripe tomatoes, lightly salt them, and allow them to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes with chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion that has been soaked in sherry or red wine vinegar, the bread, and a nice glug of olive oil to coat. Toss the mixture so the bread soaks up the juices in the bowl and throw in a handful of torn basil and mint, and a few more flakes of sea salt. 

Fried Green Tomatoes

This dish originates in the American South, and you can find several versions of it throughout the region. It originated from using green tomatoes (which are just unripe beefsteak tomatoes) that had not ripened before the first frost. The acidic and crunchy green tomatoes are a great contrast with the golden exterior. This dish is made by slicing the green tomatoes about 1⁄4 to 1⁄2-inch thick, marinating them in buttermilk or yogurt, and breading them with a mixture of cornmeal and flour before frying until golden. It is often garnished with buttermilk dressing or remoulade sauce. I love this dish with horseradish-laden shrimp remoulade and chives.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta

This is a simple and quick summer pasta to put together on a weeknight for a delicious dinner.

Simply take a couple of pints of cherry tomatoes and toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and a few slices of raw garlic. Lay them on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes, until they just start to break open. Cook any short, dried pasta that you like, and when the pasta is cooked, drain most of the cooking water, add the roasted tomatoes and an ounce or two of butter, and remove the pan from the heat. Swirl lightly to combine and melt the butter, and finish with some freshly grated Parmesan and torn basil leaves.

Tomates à la Provençale

A classic French dish featuring the great flavors of the south of France in the summer, tomates à la Provençale goes great with grilled meat or fish, or even with a salad and some toasted country bread, slathered with garlic aioli.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Scoop out the seeds and some of the pulp to create a small cavity. Microplane some garlic and fresh herbs (tarragon, parsley, basil). Mix the herbs with fresh breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and enough olive oil to make the mix like a paste. Place the tomato halves cut side up on a baking dish. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture into each tomato half, pressing down lightly. Drizzle a bit more olive oil over the top of the tomatoes and add a little parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender and the topping is golden brown and crispy.

Gazpacho

Who would ever think that soup would be a summer dish? Well, this chilled Spanish soup is always satisfying on a hot summer evening, especially with some homemade sangria or a chilled rosè. This is another dish that does not require a recipe to come out well. If you have a garden, you can go in the garden and get all the summer vegetables to go with the tomato base.

Take about a pound of ripe tomatoes — I like Brandywine, Cherokee, and beefsteaks for this one — and cut them into large pieces. Add some chopped cucumbers, Anaheim or bell peppers, some thinly sliced sweet onion, and, if you like heat, a few slices of jalapeño or serrano chili. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, add some kosher salt, mix well, and let it rest overnight in the fridge. The next day, blend or process it in a food processor, or put it through a grinder attachment on a stand mixer (my favorite way) if you prefer a chunkier texture.

Once mixed, stir in some sherry vinegar to taste and a good amount of Spanish olive oil for mouthfeel and flavor. Finish with a little grated garlic and lots of fresh herbs. If you like it thicker, mix in some small pieces of dried bread to absorb the excess liquid.