What's your favourite way to eat tomatoes, and which kind do you think is the tastiest?

Question

It's tomato season! With all the different varieties to choose from, which is the best-tasting? And what's your favourite tomato dish?

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Answer 1

Buon Giorno, Massimo!

My personal favourite will always be the plum tomato. As you know this is the tomato of choice for sauce and paste etc., but it is also my favourite to have sliced fresh (totally vine ripened melt in your mouth tomatos), and seasoned with salt, pepper, chopped garlic, chives, (fresh) parsley, basil, and oregano, seasoned with the best virgin olive oil money can buy, and how I enjoy this is served atop hard pita bread (the big loaf with the hole in the middle cut in half horizonally and re-baked in the oven so it's crisped. Rusks I suppose they are known when served as bite sized pieces)

My nonna used to top the entire half loaf of bread with this chopped tomato mixture, added some water to it and another wee drizzle of olive oil and popped it into the oven to warm up....when it came out it was heaven on earth and a meal in itself, and it's still one of my favourite tomato dishes. I often add the garlic seasonings to the bread as well for that extra garlic boost (can never have too much garlic...sorry...*S*)

Another favourite, and I don't know if I should be giving this one away...you must invite me over should you perfect this any better...is rice stuffed tomatoes. You use any round tomatos, slice in half empty the middle into a large bowl, and what my mom does is soaks Italian rice in the tomato centers. She adds finely chopped Italian "salsicha" (or prosciuttino), chopped garlic, herbs and grated parmesan cheese and salts to taste and restuffs the tomatoes and bakes...you must add some water and cover in foil as well. It is to die for.

I also wish I had learned to preserve foods the way my grandma did...one of the most awesome things she did was take green tomatoes...when they were small, slice them thin, she'd salt them and "press" them between two linen cloths. They were basically preserved (once seasoned with salt, sliced garlic cloves and fennel seeds) under oil in glass jars. They were the most delicious things on our antipasta dish which was usually reserved for special occasions like the holidays.....On the antipasta dish was also eggplant prepared in a similar fashion and unripened hard olives prepared this way too. But that is another story. Sounds bizarre but trust me...if I were a millionaire I'd pay anything these days for those amazing jars of goodies nonna used to make and most came direct from our back yard garden of course.

Answer 2

It's not quite tomato season in New Brunswick just yet but I can't wait. When it comes I'll probably let the tomatoes work for themselves rather than me doing too much to them.

Salsa is a favourite when guests come over. They're usually bugging me to make it. It's so simple I don't know why they haven't made themselves sick of it on their own. Oh well, I'll take advantage of fresh local tomatoes by quickly blanching them. Then I'll remove the skins and seeds. I'll dice up about half of them and put the other half in a blender or food processor. Then I'll add a bit of lime juice, garlic, and a jalapeno or two into the mix. Blend that up, add that to the the diced half and then add chopped cilantro, onion, and bell peppers. Some salt to season and I'm good to go.

Another favourite is to make some fresh baguettes, slice and toast them, rub down with some garlic, and then top with some fresh tomatoes, basil, parm, olive oil, and fresh ground pepper.

Simple is good. Let those tomatoes work for you.

Answer 3

Salsa is a favourite when guests come over. They're usually bugging me to make it. It's so simple I don't know why they haven't made themselves sick of it on their own. Oh well, I'll take advantage of fresh local tomatoes by quickly blanching them. Then I'll remove the skins and seeds. I'll dice up about half of them and put the other half in a blender or food processor. Then I'll add a bit of lime juice, garlic, and a jalapeno or two into the mix. Blend that up, add that to the the diced half and then add chopped cilantro, onion, and bell peppers. Some salt to season and I'm good to go.

Answer 4

Get Fresh Mozzarella cheese .Slice the same as above.
Arrange on a plate in a pattern that intermingles both, a slice of tomato, a slice of cheese, so the red of the tomatoes and the snow white of the Mozzarella cheese make a beautiful contrast.
Drizzle some olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Basil or Oregano - Optional.
Enjoy!

Answer 5

I currently reside in Clinton, Upstate NY. We have a Farmer's Market weekly where you can get fresh tomatoes. The season for them is upon us, I can hardly wait!
My fiance is Italian, and he likes them this way:
Get the fresh tomatoes and cut them diagonally, medium thickness.
Get Fresh Mozzarella cheese .Slice the same as above.
Arrange on a plate in a pattern that intermingles both, a slice of tomato, a slice of cheese, so the red of the tomatoes and the snow white of the Mozzarella cheese make a beautiful contrast.
Drizzle some olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Basil or Oregano - Optional.
Enjoy!

Answer 6

My favourite way to eat a tomato would be to slice a fresh beefsteak tomato in half and sprinkle it with a little salt and pepper.

I think the tastiest tomato is a fresh tomato from the garden. Ever since the mass production of greenhouse tomatoes, I find that tomatoes today lack taste. I miss the tomatoes of the eighties... I have yet to taste a darn good tomato!

Answer 7

The greenhouse industry has ruined the flavour of tomatoes. To get real flavour they have to be grown on the ground in contact with the warm soil 24 hours a day in a hot summer climate with long summer days in more northern latitudes and in natural sunshine, not strung up in heated air and artificial light. If you have never eaten a big Beefstake like those grown in the B.C. southern interior(Canada), that was grown the old way you have never eaten a real tomato. Second choice, the same fruit as canned tomatoes.

Answer 8

My personal favourite will always be the plum tomato. As you know this is the tomato of choice for sauce and paste etc., but it is also my favourite to have sliced fresh (totally vine ripened melt in your mouth tomatos), and seasoned with salt, pepper, chopped garlic, chives, (fresh) parsley, basil, and oregano, seasoned with the best virgin olive oil money can buy, and how I enjoy this is served atop hard pita bread (the big loaf with the hole in the middle cut in half horizonally and re-baked in the oven so it's crisped. Rusks I suppose they are known when served as bite sized pieces)

My nonna used to top the entire half loaf of bread with this chopped tomato mixture, added some water to it and another wee drizzle of olive oil and popped

Answer 9

They're usually bugging me to make it. It's so simple I don't know why they haven't made themselves sick of it on their own. Oh well, I'll take advantage of fresh local tomatoes by quickly blanching them. Then I'll remove the skins and seeds. I'll dice up about half of them and put the other half in a blender or food processor. Then I'll add a bit of lime juice, garlic, and a jalapeno or two into the mix. Blend that up, add that to the the diced half and then add chopped cilantro, onion, and bell peppers. Some salt to season and I'm good to go.

Answer 10

Warm Tomato Vinaigrette
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, with herbs
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

1. In a small saucepan, bring the tomato puree to a simmer.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and remove from the heat.
3. Serve warm.
4. Will hold in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
5. Reheat and whisk before serving.