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Tomato Varieties
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How Well Can You Say "Tomato"?
Dining alfresco, running outside, and having tan legs are all reasons why I love Summer. But my top reason for loving the season? Fresh, ripe, sweet, juicy tomatoes — the uglier and more colorful, the tastier.
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Do You Know Your Winter Squash?
Winter squash are to Fall as tomatoes are to Summer. Much like tomatoes, squash are usually considered vegetables, despite the fact that they are actually botanically classified as fruits. And, just like tomatoes, they're unavoidable this season, and come in so many countless varieties that it's hard to keep track of all of them.
In Season: Heirloom Tomatoes
Few things excite a summertime farmers market crowd more than a spread of vividly-hued heirloom tomatoes. Unlike mass-produced tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes are breed with unique characteristics that have been passed down for generations. There are countless varieties that differ in color, shape, and size, as well as maturation times.
Northeastern Tomato Blight Caused by Home Gardening
A fast-spreading fungus has ravaged tomato crops across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, wiping out this year's crop and causing the price of heirloom tomatoes to skyrocket by 20 percent. But the cause of the pandemic is something that's much more innocent than you might think.
In a recent New York Times column, renowned farm-to-table chef Dan Barber discusses the aggressive disease, known as late blight, that has wiped out 70 percent of this year's heirloom tomato crop.
Is It a Tomato or Squash?
In terms of produce, the end of September is a time that straddles Summer and Fall. Late-season heirloom tomatoes are juicy and plump, while early-season butternut squash are way too tempting. To celebrate the plethora of produce that can be found in markets, I've put together this fun quiz.
Five Minutes of Effort Yields a Rustic Tomato & Bread Gratin
At his seminar in Aspen, French cooking authority Jacques Pépin had a lot to say about boiling the world's most perfect eggs. While doing so, he also managed to make six stunning tomato dishes, using a number of in-season varieties, including a stacked Greek tomato salad, tomato-laced spaghetti with anchovies, and a tomato-bread gratin.
I just so happened to return from the neighborhood farmers market bearing a loaf of fresh-baked bread and vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, so I combined those with Parmesan to make Jacques's gratin.
Killer App: Greek Salsa
Lately I've been all about dips. OK that's somewhat of an understatement, since it seems I'm always all about dips. Seven-layer dip, nacho cheese dip, artichoke crab dip, Buffalo chicken cheese dip — you get the idea.
Say Cheese! Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts
Earlier today I teased your tastebuds with a goat cheese quiz, so it's only fair to share my current favorite goat cheese recipe: tomato and goat cheese tarts. Goat's milk has a high amount of fatty acids (much more than cow's milk) that provide the cheese with its characteristic tart flavor.
Goat cheese most commonly comes in a soft, spreadable, crumbly form, although there are hard aged varieties that have a consistency more like feta.
Know Your Tomatoes
Whether they're from your own garden, purchased at the grocery store, or picked from a farmers' market stall, tomatoes are summer's most beloved vegetable fruit. When they are in season, nothing beats enjoying the simple tomato in all its fleshy, red, ripe glory. When choosing tomatoes look for locally grown, fragrant, heavy, tomatoes with skin that yields slightly to pressure.
Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali Talk Italian Food
At the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen over the weekend I was lucky enough to attend a demonstration lead by Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. The duo are the masterminds behind a popular Los Angeles restaurant, Osteria Mozza. Silverton works most nights at the eatery behind the mozzarella bar.
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