Foodie Friday: Cooking Ideas For Fresh Summer Tomatoes

Now is the time to savor plump, just-off-the-vine tomatoes. Here are some of FINE’s favorite summer tomatoes ideas.

Get out the grill

When tomatoes are at the peak of their season they only need fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few minutes on a hot grill.

Cure a hangover

Cure your hangover with this amazing Blood Mary recipe:

Combine the following ingredients in a cocktail shaker:

4 ounces tomato juice

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 dash lemon juice

2 drops Tabasco

1 dash pepper (to taste)

1 dash salt (to taste)

1 ½ ounces Grey Goose vodka

1 dash celery salt

smidgen of horseradish

Then shake and pour into a tall glass filled 1/3^rd with ice, garnish with green olives, and drink up!

Have a healthy salad

With tomatoes, watermelon and cantaloupes, this yummy recipe sings out "summer." Use a couple different colors and sizes to make the salad especially striking.

Serves 6 | Total Time: 40m

Ingredients:

1 pound seedless watermelon, rind trimmed

1 pound cantaloupe, seeded, rind trimmed

1 medium yellow tomato

1 medium red tomato

1 medium green tomato

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 or 2 serrano chilies, sliced paper-thin

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, crushed, divided

12 dry-packed sea scallops

Directions:

1. Slice melons thinly and lay on a large shallow platter. Slice tomatoes crosswise and lay on platter with melons.
2. Whisk together lemon and lime juices, chilies, brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 3 tbsp. oil, the ginger, and ¾ tsp. peppercorns. Pour all but 2 tbsp. dressing over melon and tomatoes. Let marinate 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large (not nonstick) frying pan over high heat. Pat scallops dry and season with remaining salt and pink peppercorns. When pan is hot, pour in remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil; place scallops one at a time in pan, spacing evenly; and cook until golden brown and crusty, 2 minutes. Turn over and cook on other side, 1 minute.
4. Add warm scallops to platter, drizzle with remaining dressing, and serve.

Make salsa

The zesty taste of this salsa will add zing to anything it touches – quesadillas, tamales, tacos, grilled chicken, fish or steak, and, or coarse, tortilla chips.

Makes 1 ½ Cups | Total Time: 15m

Ingredients:

1 cup finely diced peeled mango (from ½-pound mango)

2 plum tomatoes, finely diced

2 tablespoons minced raw onion

1 teaspoon minced Serrano or habanero chili

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/3 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons chopped mint

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, toss the mango with the tomatoes, onion and chili. Stir in the lime juice, sugar, rice vinegar, cilantro and mint. Season the salsa with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature.

Make a quick chicken dish

When I am cooking at home, I have tomatoes hanging around, and want something fast and easy, here is what ill do:

Serves 4 | Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 20m

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

4 ears corn, husks removed

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

4 scallions, chipped

1 teaspoons grated orange zest

8 6-inch skewers, soaked in water.

Directions:

1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. In a bowl, toss the chicken, garlic, thyme, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Thread the chicken on the skewers.
3. Grill the chicken and corn, turning occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the corn is charred, 7 to 10 minutes for both.
4. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, scallions, orange zest, remaining tablespoon of oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
5. Serve the tomato salad with the chicken and corn.

Stuff it

Serves 6 | Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 20m

Ingredients:

6 large tomatoes

3 6-ounce cans tuna, drained

3 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. With a paring knife, remove the stem end from each tomato. Scoop out the seeds and pulp into a bowl
2. Add the tuna, capers, parsley, lemon zest and juice, oil, and pepper to the bowl and combine
3. Spoon the mixture carefully into the hollowed-out tomatoes.

Cook dinner in 20 minutes

Serves 4 | Hands-on Time: 15m | Total Time: 20m

Ingredients:

8 8-ich flour tortillas

12 ounces grated or sliced mozzarella

2 tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch thick slices

½ teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat grill to medium. Place 4 of the tortillas on a cutting board and top with the mozzarella and tomatoes, leaving a 1-inch border.
2. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and top with the remaining tortillas
3. In a medium bowl, combine the basil, pine nuts, oil, and remaining salt; set aside.
4. Cook the quesadillas around the perimeter of the grill until the cheese melts and the tortillas are crisp and golden (about 2 minuets per side).
5. Immediately cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with the basil.

Make pizza

If olives are a deal breaker, leave them off; this fresh tomato-feta pizza is still delicious.

Serves 6 (serving size: 1 slice) | Total Time: 55m

Ingredients:

1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough

4 plum tomatoes, sliced

2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon cornmeal

4 ounces feta cheese

1 ounce pitted kalamata olives, halved (1/3 cup)

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Let dough stand at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Arrange tomato slices on a jelly-roll pan lined with paper towels. Top with more paper towels. Let stand 30 minutes.
3. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in over. Preheat over to 500° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).
4. Combine tomatoes, 2 tablespoons oil and garlic. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface, and pierce dough liberally with a fork. Carefully remove pizza stone from over. Sprinkle cornmeal over stone; place dough on stone. Arrange tomato mixture on dough. Crumble cheese; sprinkle over pizza. Bake at 500° for 19 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is lightly browned. Remove from oven; top with olives and basil. Brush outer crust with remaining 1 ½ teaspoons oil. Cur pizza into 6 large slices.

Sandwich it

Take all of the ingredients of the classic caprese salad and serve them on grilled bread for a fresh and summery open-faced sandwich. Eat a few as a whole meal or make some smaller ones and serve them as appetizers while the grill heats up for bigger items.

Serves 4 | Total Time: 25m

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon minced garlic

8 slices (about ½ in. thick) crusty Italian bread

3 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced

1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly

16 medium basil leaves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare a grill for medium heat (350° to 450°). Combine 1 tbsp. oil and the garlic and brush onto 1 side of bread.
2. Lay bread oiled side down on grill and cook until slightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Turn bread over, lay tomato slices on bread to fit, overlapping if needed, and then lay cheese slices over tomatoes. Cover grill and cook until cheese starts to melt, about 4 minutes.
3. Transfer sandwiches to a platter. Put 2 basil leaves over each sandwich and drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp. oil and the vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.