Pretty Cherry Tomatoes

Last week, I posted my fried green tomato recipe and mentioned that the cold first few weeks of August had stunted the ripening of my gardens tomatoes.

But, in the last few weeks things have totally swung in the opposite direction.  Temperatures jumped and the humidity came on strong.  Social media was full of “It’s sooo hot” statues.  If the barista/sales gal/oil change guy claimed they were tired, they blamed it on the heat.  Even the weather man seemed blown away by the high temperatures.

All the while I kind of wanted to remind everyone that this really isn’t that crazy or excessive.  It is summer and that 88 degrees is actually pretty normal for summer.

But, I get it.  It did seem kind of crazy after the super mild, and sometimes even chilly, first part of the month.

Unfortunately, my tomatoes also thought the temperature swing was crazy. 

Thanks to the heat, the fruit began growing fast. 

Too fast.

The skin couldn’t keep up with the rapidly growing inside causing the tomatoes to literally be busting at the seams.  Nearly every single one of my tomatoes is cracked or split. 

While damaged, they still are edible.  (Unless bugs have gotten to them.  Those tomatoes become chicken treats.)  They just aren’t very pretty.

However, the cherry tomatoes are unaffected and are very pretty.

So pretty they don’t need a DSLR… shot using my iPhone.

I have prepared cherry tomatoes so many different ways, and not many of the same ways twice because I just kind of make things up as I go and use what I have.  But, this recipe, that I now have memorized, from a Bon Appetit magazine a few years ago is worth doing twice. 

It is so versatile.  We have topped steaks with it.  Fish.  Salad.  Pasta.  Eggs.  And it’s pretty good on it’s own!  It also can easily be adjusted.  If you don’t have chives, parsley or basil would work great.  No red wine vinegar?  Balsamic or even apple cider vinegar would do the trick.  Got a red or white onion versus a shallot, no problem!

Last week, I dressed one of our garden’s spaghetti squash with this easy and fresh cherry tomato vinaigrette. 

Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

2014-09-07 16:12:29

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Ingredients

1. 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
2. 3 Tbs. Good Olive Oil, divided
3. 1 shallot, finely chopped
4. 1 Tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
5. Salt and Pepper
6. 2 Tbs. Chopped Fresh Chives

Instructions

1. Cut half of the cherry tomatoes in half.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. About four minutes.
3. Add the halved and whole tomatoes to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally. Juices from the tomatoes will begin to release in about five minutes. Mash some of the tomatoes with a spoon.
4. Add the vinegar and additional oil; season with salt and pepper.
5. Top with chives right before serving.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

1. Chives are really easy to grow. We have them in the garden, but they do great in pots for small space gardening.

Adapted from Bon Appetit June 2013

Adapted from Bon Appetit June 2013

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