Come on, Tomatoes!

I've waited all year for tomatoes to come back in season.  I don't buy them until I see them at the farmers' market or on the vine in my backyard . Oh sure, if you invite me over for dinner in the winter and make me a Caprese salad,  I'll eat it.  I'm not a jerk; if you cooking for me, I'll eat whatever you serve (except Spam or chicken livers, sorry). But I just don't buy tomatoes for myself until summer.  I know the way they taste when they are fresh and just-ripe picked, and there's nothing like it!

The first time I had tomatoes from someone's yard, I was in college.  The woman I worked for invited me over for dinner.  On the table was a plate of sliced tomatoes, simply dressed with a little sea salt. Snarky Suzanne thought, "What the hell? A plate of tomatoes???!"  But I don't remember one other thing she cooked for me that night bacause those tomatoes, fresh, ripe and deep in color and flavor were the tastiest things I had ever eaten, and everything else that night was lost by comparison.

I've thought back on that memory over the years as I've moved into a world of eating in season.  The lesson learned is that if you eat what the earth gives you when it gives it to you, it is a perfect food that needs very little to enhance the flavor... just a little sea salt.

Truth be told, it's still a little early for tomatoes.  Mine are still little green nuggets on the vine.  But they started popping up at the farmers' market, so even though I knew they wouldn't be just right yet, I had to get a teaser.  And what is my first love when it comes to tomatoes?  A Panzanella Bread Salad.

There are lots of different versions of Panzanella out ther on the web, but I take the simple approach: Cut a baguette into bite sized pieces (I love Grace Baking's ciabatta loaf.... try not to eat half of it before you can make the salad!) and saute it in olive oil with a little minced shallot and garlic.  When they are lightly browned and toasty, toss in a bowl with roughly chopped tomatoes (heirlooms are my fave), cubes of fresh mozzerella, some torn basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I had an avocado that was in "use or lose" mode, so I tossed that in, too. Heaven!

Give it a try....you can thank me later!