Ingredient of the Day: Tomatoes

Rule No. 6

If you planted it…Or raised it, or harvested it-even if it’s just a twig of thyme-it’s going to taste better than if you’d bought it. 

I’ve indulged in the organic heirloom tomatoes at Whole Foods more than a few times already this summer, making salsa, salads and countless tomato basil flatbreads (another recipe post that’s in the works). But I simply can’t wait until we can harvest our own Romas, San Marzanos, and Better Boys (See Rule No. 6). 

Bon Appetit just published a remarkably simple “Summer Meal Manifesto” in its June issue, and not surprisingly, the two rules that made my mouth water involved the tomato prepared simply using few other ingredients. Read on for the Perfect Tomato Sandwich and No-Cook Tomato Sauce…

Rule No. 7

No one is going to improve upon the tomato sandwich.

No one—not Alice Waters, not that Danish guy whose place was voted Best Restaurant in the World, maybe not even God. Put a few slices of the juiciest tomato you can find on your favorite toasted bread with mayo, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a couple of grinds of pepper. Eat open-face.

Rule No. 26

One of the best things you’ll cook this summer requires no cooking at all.

It’s called no-cook tomato sauce, and here’s how you make it: Cut up a bunch of tomatoes, mince a garlic clove, roll up a handful of basil leaves and cut into a chiffonade, and add salt, pepper, and olive oil. Put it all in a big jar or glass bowl with a lid and let sit in the sun for a few hours. When you’re ready to eat, toss it with your favorite pasta; add grated Parm.

Read More at:

 http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/slideshows/2011/06/summer-cooking-manifesto#slide=1