Seasonal Eats: Fresh Summer Tomatoes & Classic Caprese Salad
Seasonal Eats: Fresh Summer Tomatoes & Classic Caprese Salad
Seasonal Eats is a series celebrating in-season, local produce and the hero ingredient of this article is the humble tomato.
As we head into the summer months we can look forward to the ripening of a huge number of tomato varieties, which can be turned into delicious dishes that the whole family can enjoy.
Just imagine enjoying refreshing chilled tomato gazpacho, punchy tomato salsa, roasted vine tomatoes, salads, and much more this season.
A potted history
Tomatoes are a mainstay of modern cooking around the world but it wasn’t always that way. They are native to western South America and were spread to Central America and Mexico by Indigenous travellers.
Spanish settlers arrived on the scene in the 16th century and sent tomato seeds back to Europe where they started to be grown around Spain and Italy. It took a while for tomatoes to catch on as a foodstuff due to a misconception that they were poisonous.
This reasoning was in part due to the trend for pewter tableware amongst affluent European households in the 1700s. The acid in tomatoes released lead from the pewter and caused many cases of lead poisoning, but it was the tomato that was blamed.
However, by the 1900s they began to be enjoyed for the tasty fruit that they are rather than being grown as an ornamental plant.
Fun fact: While classed as a fruit botanically, the Tariff Act of 1183 states that they are a vegetable according to the US Supreme Court.
Seasonal varieties and where to buy
Forget those boring and tasteless tomatoes that you get all year round at the grocery store, look out for locally grown varieties that might be on a special display at the store or piled in shining mounds at your local farmer’s markets.
They should be all colors, irregularly shaped, and scented with that intoxicating and undeniable aroma of tomatoes fresh off their vines. When handling them they should have a firm skin with the promise of a ripe and juicy interior that will be revealed upon slicing into — or if you can’t wait, biting into on the trip home from the market.
You might recognize some usual suspects such as the robust beefsteaks or the pop-in-your-mouth-sized Sungold cherry tomatoes, which are of course delicious, but also keep your eyes peeled for heirloom varieties that come in startling colors and patterns. These might include the beautifully green and striped Green Zebra tomato or the large Ananas tomatoes which are reminiscent of a stunning sunset with their yellow flesh streaked with hues of orange, pink, and red.
How to eat
One of the best ways to eat tomatoes is straight off the plant or as part of a simple tomato salad created from a mix of chopped varieties, a dash of olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt to bring out the sweetness.
But if you want to create an impressive-looking, yet simple, healthy, and delicious lunch then look no further than the classic Caprese Salad.
Fresh tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, a confetti of fragrant basil leaves, and a glossy drizzle of balsamic dressing come together to create a heavenly summer salad. It can be made in mere minutes and is ideal for an indulgent lunch on your own or as a picture-perfect side dish when you have company.
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
2 - 3 large tomatoes of choice
225g fresh mozzarella
Handful of fresh basil leaves
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Clove of garlic
Dash of sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper for seasoning
Instructions
Cut the tomatoes into 5 mm slices before cutting the mozzarella into slices of the same thickness.
Arrange them on a platter or plate of choice by overlapping alternating slices of tomato and mozzarella in whatever pattern your heart desires.
Scatter fresh basil leaves evenly over the platter.
Next, smash the garlic clove with the sea salt in a pestle and mortar before adding in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and giving it a thorough mix.
Drizzle the dressing over the platter to your taste before seasoning lightly with freshly cracked black pepper and more sea salt if you like.
This dish is best served freshly made and is great with crusty bread and butter as a meal on its own, or it will pair very well as a side with any manner of grilled fish or meat.
Alternatively…
You can take the Classic Caprese Salad concept and create different dishes.
If you’re having a party and need canapés then you can cut a cherry tomato in half and thread one half onto a cocktail stick. Follow this by threading on a baby basil leaf, a mini mozzarella ball, another basil leaf, and then top it off with the other half of the tomato. Et voila — an elegant party canapé.
Maybe you’re making packed lunches or are going on a picnic and need something delicious yet a bit more substantial. Into a bowl tip some cooked pasta shapes of choice, followed by some mini mozzarella balls, sliced tomatoes, small chunks of cucumber, a handful of torn basil leaves, and a drizzle of the dressing from our main recipe. If you fancy, you could add some cold, cooked chicken or some salty shavings of parmesan before mixing.
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