Tomato Time

By Cheryl Forberg, RD

July is the height of tomato season, and about the time I start running out of ideas for new ways to serve them. When we have a big crop, I tend to make gallons and gallons of tomato sauce.  I can freeze it or can it to serve later with pasta or by adding a splash of stock to serve as a comforting soup in the dead of winter.

My second biggest tomato project is dehydrating. It’s amazing to see how 10 pounds of juicy tomatoes can be reduced to a few small bags of chewy, concentrated tomato heaven. The dried tomatoes never seem to last to the fall at our house and usually disappear after a couple of months of snacking or sharing as welcome host/hostess gifts.

Freshly picked tomatoes are, of course, the best option of all. There is nothing better than the full flavor of a just-picked tomato, so it’s pretty easy to make anything delicious with this starring ingredient. Thinly sliced with a bit of salt and pepper or drizzled with balsamic vinegar and crowned with a chiffonade of basil — you really can’t mess it up. My favorite way to enjoy fresh raw tomatoes is in a simple salad with chopped ginger, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and chopped cilantro — I could eat that by the bowlful.

Yesterday, I was making breakfast for my sister when I eyed a bowl of baby San Marzano tomatoes on the counter. I opened the fridge to grab a few eggs and saw a bunch of basil and a log of fresh mozzarella. Today’s recipe was conceived and enjoyed by my sister.  While it made a great breakfast, this would also be delicious for lunch or dinner, with salad and/or bread and maybe even a glass of Sauvignon Blanc!

Omelette Caprese

Serves 1 or 2

Ingredients

For the omelette:

1½ teaspoons olive oil
3 fresh eggs
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream
½ teaspoon Melissa’s Italian Seasoning Grinder
Salt and pepper to taste

For the filling:

1 teaspoon olive oil
4 ounces baby San Marzano tomatoes, quartered (or halved cherry or grape tomatoes), about one cup
1 teaspoon Melissa’s chopped roasted garlic
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
Salt and pepper
2 ounces fresh mozzarella cut in ½ inch cubes, about ½ cup

Garnish:

1 baby San Marzano tomato, quartered (or 2 cherry tomatoes, halved)
Fresh basil

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with milk and Italian Seasoning.  Set aside.

For the filling:

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes and sauté for 1 minute. Add garlic and salt and pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until the tomatoes release their juices and become saucy. Sprinkle basil and cheese on top. Cover and remove from heat.

For the omelette:

In a medium non-stick sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add eggs and tip pan to cover with egg mixture. Cover pan for 2 to 3 minutes or until egg mixture is almost set. Pour the tomato and cheese mixture over the middle of the omelette and then cover and remove from heat.   Allow to set for one minute. Omelette should easily slide onto plate and fold it over (in half) using a spatula. Serve hot, garnished with tomatoes and fresh basil.