It’s late August here, almost September, and we’re swimming in tomatoes (which is a lovely byproduct of treating your garden well). There’s nothing like planting your seed, tending to it, growing seedlings, moving them outside to acclimate, then planting, then nursing, watering, mulching, pinching, helping pollinate, and then finally harvesting. The summer garden is glorious, rewarding work, but the best part is making the recipes after harvesting super easy. I avoid elaborate recipes and just go for simple and delicious.
The first recipe is a “baked” tomato sauce ~ you can use whole tomatoes, cherry, plum, heirloom, whatever you have on hand. You can find the full recipe here, but I basically just roast tomatoes with herbs and garlic, then pulse in a food processor (or not, you can leave them as is and just mush with the back of a spoon if you like a heartier sauce), and serve over zucchini noodles, over some orzo, or anything else you think of.
The second recipe is one of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes, by far.
Roasted Pepper & Tomato Salad
1/2 jar of roasted peppers, sliced thin (or you can roast your own peppers!)
1/4 red onion, sliced
about 1.5 cups sliced tomatoes
drizzle of olive oil
drizzle of apple cider vinegar (or balsamic)
pinch salt
Combine ingredients together and serve as a side with any of your summer bounty plates. Delicious with roasted eggplant and zucchini, along side some crispy baked chickpeas, or even with some just-harvested roasted purple potatoes….you get the idea.
A quick September recipe (when you still have tomatoes, but the weather is cooling a bit) would include incorporating some polenta, a favorite food from my childhood. You’ll want to use really fine cornmeal here: the ratio is 1 cup cornmeal to 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, add a little salt, and stir, stir, stir. It will spout and spit so maybe wear a cooking glove (I’ve been burned by polenta before!). The polenta should be done when it pulls away from the sides of the pot. For me, all it needs is salt to taste amazing, but you can also serve it with some vegan butter and/or cheese. And a generous helping of the tomato and roasted pepper salad, of course. Add in your favorite protein, and you’re all set!
That’s it - enjoy your garden bounty, or head to your local farmers market to reap the rewards of summer tomatoes. They will not disappoint!