{stories and snapshots from my new york city life.}

6.15.2011

Attack of the Yellow Tomatoes

I am not a huge tomato person. I don't put them on my sandwiches and I evict them from my salad bowl.  I don't fleck raw slices with salt, and I certainly would never sink my teeth into one as if it were an apple. I don't care if it is a fruit. That's just not my scene.


I may thumb my nose at eating raw tomatoes, but I do love tomatoes when they're cooked. Especially summer's pretty yellow and orange tomatoes. I'm a sucker for juicy colors. I look really good in orange. And since my meals typically have a 60% chance of ending up on my shirt, their color tends to be quite important to me.


This time of year, the Farmer's Markets start building up for tomato season, until suddenly they are everywhere! I start thinking of all those gorgeous colors splattered on my clothes and I get giddy!


Red ones, orange ones, lumpy ones, enormous ones, funky-looking ones. I tend to go a little nuts because I know this time won't last for long.


I start finding reasons to put sauteed yellow tomatoes on everything. They're good on pasta, over rice, on quinoa. And definitely on pizza. Try sauteeing yellow tomatoes with shallots, garlic, japanese eggplant and basil. Throw some goat cheese on a crust and you're good to go. But make sure you bake it too. Let's be thorough here.


And here's my new go-to summer dish. Vin calls it "ridiculous', not because it wears funny pants or tells lame jokes, but because it is ridiculously delicious. Slice up polenta (you know those rolled tubes of it at the grocery?) and grill or saute it in rounds. Top with sauteed yellow tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil and spinach or kale. Top with slices of parmesan. It is colorful and filling and super delicious. Would I lie to you?

What's your take on tomatoes? Do you like them raw? Cooked? What's your favorite thing to do with these luscious yellow and orange tomatoes?

9 comments:

  1. Wow, I am so trying ridiculous immediately!!

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  2. Yes yes, love colorful funky ones! We're growing a variety called Berkeley Tie Dye - can't wait to see what it looks like!

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  3. I love tomatoes. The best tomato to me is fresh from my grandpa's garden. I slice it up, put it on some toasted bread with a little Miracle Whip, and a couple shakes of salt and pepper. Oh, I could eat that everyday.
    Sometimes during winter I find myself fantasizing about those tomatoes. My grandpa's garden is heaven.

    I've never had a yellow or orange tomato! I'm headed to the farmers market this weekend, I'm going to see if I can find any, though it's probably too early around here.

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  4. I love fresh tomatoes in the summer (nothing beats one fresh from the vine), but I don't eat too many when they're out of season. That 'go to' dish looks delicious!

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  5. Aah, I love tomatoes! My favourite way is raw with salt but I'd pretty much eat them any way. I'm apparently allergic to them but don't react...so my doctor told me that if I start to choke on them, I should stop eating them. Thanks, Doc. Great advice.

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  6. HATE them raw. Adore them cooked.

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  7. I like my tomaters from New Jersey, cracked open, sliced and sprinkled with salt. I've never had any color other than red though, I probably thought they had gone bad or something. But now that I know differently, I might just experiment. Because God knows I need more vehicles to deliver goat cheese to my belly.

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  8. I don't even know where to get yellow tomatoes from :( And what are those funky knobbly green ones? I want one!

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  9. I'm growing to love tomatoes...it has taken a long time (and many trips to the farmer's market). Once I tried an heirloom tomato, I knew that I would grow to love these guys. Thank you for sharing today...this simple recipe idea is making me want to get into the kitchen (even though it is 105 degrees right now!) You are a blessing! Have a wonderful Sunday!

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