Tomato, Tomahto—30 Recipes to Cook Right Now

By August 06, 2020

Heirloom and Cherry Tomato Salad
Anna Kovel
Southern Tomato Pie
Summer is the time for fresh tomatoes, and we’re taking advantage of them all season long. Whether you’re showcasing them in salads or tossing them on the grill, make sure you’re making the most of their lush, juicy texture and sweet flavor. Tim Robison
This tomato salad with shallot vinaigrette from Alice Waters is our platonic ideal of the dish. Get the recipe for Heirloom and Cherry Tomato Salad

Marinated Tomatoes with Mint

For a slightly—just slightly—more elaborate dish that showcases the sweet juices of summer tomatoes, chef Chris Fischer dresses them with olive oil and vinegar, creating a vinaigrette seemingly out of nothing.

Roasted and Fresh Tomato Pie

As soon as the first tomato blossom turns into a tiny green orb, people start calling Kinston restaurant Chef & the Farmer to find out if tomato pie is on the menu. If you have access to two different colors of tomatoes, combine them here—one for the roasted portion and another for the fresh. It’s a nice visual touch. Get the recipe for Roasted and Fresh Tomato Pie »

Summer Polenta with Chimichurri and Tomatoes

Chimichurri and a tomato-onion salad are perfect for offsetting the richness of creamy polenta. Get the recipe for Summer Polenta with Chimichurri and Tomatoes »
Get the recipe for Estela’s Tomato Toast »

Herbed Tomato Tart

Made with ripe cherry tomatoes and fragrant herbs, this tart is both delicious and beautiful. Get the recipe for Herbed Tomato Tart »

Caprese Salad

A dish as simple as caprese salad demands the best ingredients: Use firm, in-season tomatoes, the freshest burrata, and dress with pristine olive oil and top-quality balsamic vinegar. Get the recipe for Caprese Salad »

Roasted Tomato and Grape Toasts with Fava Bean Puree

Dried fava bean purée is served all over Puglia, typically with cooked bitter greens and fried or toasted bread. Giorgia Goggi adds lemon juice and miso, and uses it as a base for crostini. Leftovers are an excellent dip for raw vegetables. Get the recipe for Roasted Tomato and Grape Toasts with Fava Bean Puree »

Eritrean Spicy Tomato Bread Salad with Yogurt (Fata)

In the Horn of Africa, they serve a version of panzanella tossed not with fresh tomatoes, but with a rich, spicy tomato stew. Crusty bread soaks up the juices and cooling yogurt provides contrast and sweet relief. Get the recipe for Eritrean Spicy Tomato Bread Salad with Yogurt (Fata) »
Cool, vaguely acidic, and faintly sweet, gazpacho is the definitive Andalusian dish. Get the recipe for Gazpacho Andaluz

Yellow Tomato Soup with Lamb Meatballs, Yogurt, and Mint

“Spices have always fascinated me. I collect them from all over the world,” says Giorgia Goggi, who accents this soup with Middle Eastern sumac and Indian garam masala. If you can’t find fresh yellow tomatoes, red will work just as well. Yellow Tomato Soup with Lamb Meatballs, Yogurt, and Mint »
Cherry tomatoes are tossed with canned sardines here, along with fresh oregano, olives, capers, and a red wine vinaigrette. The whole thing is layered with thin slices of heirloom tomato between slabs of focaccia.

Cherry Tomato Tarte Tatin

Juicy cherry or grape tomatoes are coated in a light caramel to make the “topping” for this tart, but the whole thing is baked upside down in a skillet. Do most of the steps to prepare it in advance—make the zucchini paste and defrost the puff pastry a few hours or up to two days ahead—but be sure to serve the tart just after baking, turning it out from the pan in front of guests. It tastes best while the caramel is still runny and the warm, topmost layer of dough has a custardy consistency. Get the recipe for Cherry Tomato Tarte Tatin »

Roast your vegetables to gloss over imperfections

Oven-Stewed Tomatoes

Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tomato Gazpacho

This refreshing summer soup, adapted from La Guarida restaurant in Havana, is meant to be served lightly chilled. Olive oil, garlic, pink peppercorn, and smoky grilled shrimp round out the sweetness from the strawberries and watermelon. Add ¼ teaspoon of sugar if the fruit is more tart than sweet. Get the recipe for Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tomato Gazpacho »

Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Panzerotti

Italian panzerotti are semi-circular pockets of bread that are usually filled with cheese, deep-fried, and eaten hot. SAVEUR intern Suhashini Sarkar first tried these in Milan; her sister has since developed her own recipe that uses a sauce made from fresh tomatoes. It’s reminiscent of pizza, but deep-fried and portable. Get the recipe for Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Panzerotti

Caprese Salad with Fried Capers and Basil

Briny and slightly crispy fried capers punch up the flavor of this classic Italian tomato and mozzarella salad. Get the recipe for Caprese Salad with Fried Capers and Basil »
Florence Jackson, the author’s grandmother and a Nova Scotia native, made use of shoulder-­season produce to prepare this tangy relish. It is often served with meat and fish dishes, where it adds a bright note of sweetness. While chow-chow can be used immediately, its flavor improves with time. Consider making a large batch and putting it up in properly sterilized canning jars to last through the winter months. Get the recipe for Green Tomato Chow Chow »

Smoked Tomato Soup

In this twist on the classic comforting soup, tomatoes are smoked on the stove top before being reduced with red wine and puréed. The smokier taste to this soup compliments grilled sausage well in the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich—the Kumru. Get the recipe for Smoked Tomato Soup »

Burrata and Marinated Cherry Tomato Sandwiches

Burrata and Marinated Cherry Tomato Sandwiches

Tomato Sandwich

Our idea of the perfect summer sandwich? Two thin slices of good toast, mayo, and a couple juicy slices of tomato.

Summer Panzanella

Sweet, ripe, summer tomatoes dressed in olive oil, vinegar, and basil are tossed with garlicky, toasted bread cubes to soak up the delicious juices in this classic Italian salad. Get the recipe for Summer Panzanella »

Tomato Cake with Smoked Feta Cream and Marinated Tomatoes

In this recipe from Amanda Cohen, chef-owner of New York City’s Dirt Candy, tomato powder lends flavor to this savory-sweet cake, which gets topped with smoked feta cream and cherry tomato halves. Get the recipe for Tomato Cake with Smoked Feta Cream and Marinated Tomatoes »

Provençal Vegetable Tian

A tian is a type of gratin, typically vegetables baked in an earthenware dish. (The word “tian” also refers to the earthenware dish itself.) This classic Provençal version is made with alternating rows of sliced zucchini, eggplant, and tomato. The flavors meld as the vegetables cook together, somewhat like ratatouille. Seasoned simply with thyme, garlic, and good fruity olive oil, the dish is best served at room temperature. Lulu insists it tastes even better made a day in advance. Get the recipe for Provençal Vegetable Tian »

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

Chef Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner, a restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, serves a version of this refreshing dish during the late summer. Smith says he developed the salad after paying a visit to a few of his former cooks in Mexico, where he discovered a range of dishes that melded sweet, spicy, and sour flavors. Get the recipe for Watermelon and Tomato Salad »

Tadashi’s Grilled Tomatoes

Ripe tomatoes develop umami-rich flavor when grilled with a soy sauce marinade. Mitsuba, a Japanese relative of parsley, lends a mild cilantro-like freshness. Get the recipe for Tadashi’s Grilled Tomatoes »

Summer Tomato and Herb Dip

Your glut of garden tomatoes just found their new home: stirred into caramelized honey and a host of herbs and spices. Get the recipe for Summer Tomato and Herb Dip »

Tomato Salad with Green Beans and Basil

Tomato Salad with Green Beans and Basil

Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Fennel Dressing

Tomatoes and cucumbers are a classic combination. Here, Eli Sussman of the Sussman Brothers modernizes the summer staple with heirloom varieties of the titular ingredients and brings them together with a caramelized fennel–lemon dressing. Get the recipe for Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Fennel Dressing »
Brown butter, or what the French call beurre noisette, is enhanced with summer tomatoes and a splash of vermouth for the superlative sauce in this weeknight fish dish. Get the recipe forSkillet Cod with Brown-Butter Tomato Sauce

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