The other day I received, from one of the supervisors who works for me, a bunch of fresh herbs from her garden. She gave me some sweet Basil, cinnamon basil, and fresh oregano. I was thrilled, as just that morning I had been out in our flower beds, at home, picking a few tomatoes. We don’t have room for a full garden we my wife usually plants a few tomato plants in among the flowers and my herbs. That morning I had picked a rainbow’s worth of tomatoes.

My mind wandered all day, at work, thinking of what I could do with the tomatoes I harvested. There weren’t many. Certainly not enough for canning or turning into relish. I didn’t even have enough for a tomato tart. With the addition of the fresh herbs I received I made up my mind to make a simple, summery pasta. Nothing spectacular, just a simple dish highlighting the fresh flavors of summer that I had sitting before me. Toss in a few shrimp and a good dose of garlic and I had the makings of great little dinner.

Shrimp & Heirloom Tomato Pasta
(serves 2)

6 oz. Fettuccine
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 each Shallot, minced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
20 each Shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail off (I used 31/40s, but you can use whatever size you like)
1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 cup White Wine, preferably something unoaked, a Sauvignon Blanc would be great
2 cups Tomatoes, roughly chopped (the more varieties and colors the better)
1 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper

Cook the fettuccine, in boiling water, per the directions, making sure that the pasta is cooked al dente and not overcooked. When the pasta has about 4 minutes left, place a large saute pan over high heat. Add the butter and as soon as it is melted add the garlic and shallots. Cook quickly, without browning and add the shrimp and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper Cook 2 minutes then add the wine. Meanwhile, when pasta is finished drain but do not rinse. Simmer shrimp, in the wine 1-2 minutes longer, until the shrimp is done. Toss the pasta into the saute pan. Add the tomatoes, oregano and basil, tossing to mix well. Continue to cook, only until the tomatoes are heated through. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Divide between 2 plates and serve.

I don’t know about the rest of the country, but this year hasn’t been a good year for tomatoes in Wisconsin.  July and August have felt more like September and October, with cool, cloudy days being the norm while 80 and 90 degree weather seems to have been the exception.  This has put a damper on the tomato harvest this year with  smaller yields and late arrival at the farmer’s markets.  While still way better than grocery store tomatoes, the tomatoes, at the market, this year aren’t up the their usual standards.  I have heard many complaints about the tomatoes rotting on the vine before being fully ripened so many farmers are forced to pick them a little sooner than they want to resulting in firmer, less juicy tomatoes that seem a little more acidic than normal.  Again, though, even in a year like this, the locally grown tomatoes are light years better than any tomato bought at your local megamart.

In the last few years, tomato tarts have become all the rage, and rightfully so.  They are a great way to showcase the various flavors and colors of the the heirloom tomatoes that have become more and more popular over the last decade or so.  Fortunately, the internet abounds with recipes for such tarts, and finding one you like isn’t that difficult.  That being the case I thought I share another great way to show off those wonderful summertime tomatoes-Scalloped Tomatoes.  Scalloped Tomatoes is a wonderfully rustic dish that seems right at home among other country fare yet there is something elegant in it’s simplicity.  In the simple recipe that follows please be sure to use “fresh” bread crumbs (from slices of fresh bread or just slightly stale bread that you pulse in a food processor) and not that dried out stuff that comes in a can, from the store.  That stuff has its place but not in this recipe.

Scalloped Tomatoes
4 1/2 cups Fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup Butter, melted
2 tablespoons Fresh chives, minced
2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme, minced
6 each tomatoes, ripe, thickly sliced
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Combine bread crumbs, butter and herbs and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Press half of crumb mixture into a large (9×13) baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place a single layer of tomatoes on top. Sprinkle tomatoes with more bread crumb mixture then another layer of tomatoes. Continue until all tomatoes and breadcrumbs are used up, ending with a layer of bread crumbs. Return to oven and bake until tomatoes are warmed and the crumbs on top are golden brown (approx. 10 minutes)

This recipe is easy to adapt to suit your tastes. To give it an Italian flair, replace the butter with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add fresh Basil and Oregano to the herbs, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I don’t consider myself to be a food snob. Sure, after years of cooking in high end restaurants I can extoll the virtues of foie gras, debate whether American or New Zealand lamb is superior, or lose myself in discussions of the world’s greatest cheeses, but I also love to debate the best fat to meat ratio of a properly made burger, lose myself to the comfort of great diner food, and swap secrets to making the best chili. I think yellow mustard has its rightful place as a condiment of choice, I like salads made of iceberg lettuce, but worst of all, late at night I sometimes succumb to the call of the frozen pizza. Good luck finding any food snob that will admit to those infractions!

That being said, years of being a chef have left their mark on me and occasionally a bit of snobbery shows through. A case in point is the BLT. How can a BLT, a staple of diner food, be associated with food snobbery? This lowly sandwich is rife with chances for snobbery in my opinion. First off, as far as I am concerned there are only about 2 1/2 months, a year, when BLT’s should be eaten. The most important cornerstone of a BLT is the tomato and that tomato must be ripened on the vine, and by that I don’t mean those semi tasteless “vine ripe” tomatoes found in grocery stores. Those things are only a small step above the regular tomatoes. So here comes the most important lesson in BLT making-if you have to buy your tomato from the store to make a BLT then forget it. A BLT should only be made with locally grown tomatoes that truly come to you ripened on the vine, whether that tomato was grown in your garden or bought at the local farmers market, it doesn’t matter as long as that tomato wasn’t sent half way across the country. Most areas only have about a 2-2 1/2 month window in which tomatoes are ripe. I would rather wait through most of the year to eat a BLT made with sun ripened tomatoes than waste my time eating a BLT made with tasteless, acidic tomatoes with the texture of cardboard. (continue reading…)