Olla-Podrida: heirloom tomatoes

Showing posts with label heirloom tomatoes. Show all posts

Monday, March 3, 2025

Mediterranean Harvest Open-Faced Sandwich

I tend to go a little crazy in the produce department. I love produce; the various sizes, shapes, and colors always attract me. There’s nothing that pleases me more than an artfully arranged produce department. As a consequence, I tend to buy more than I need so I’m always looking for new ways to use things. Today I was in the mood for a sandwich, and was leaning toward my “go to” veggie sandwich, the recipe of which you can find here. Instead, I decided to make it open-faced so that I could enjoy the textures and colors, as well as the taste. Here is the result. I’m calling it…

Mediterranean Harvest Open-Faced Sandwich

2 slices sourdough bread, toasted
1 ripe avocado, sliced or mashed
1 c. Melissa’s heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
½ c. Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
¼ c. feta cheese, crumbled
2 T. Melissa’s dried tart cherries
¼ c. walnuts, roughly chopped

Place the toasted sourdough slices on a serving plate.

Layer the Ingredients:

Arrange the avocado slices on each slice of bread for a creamy base. Scatter the halved cherry tomatoes over the avocado.

Add the sliced Kalamata olives for a burst of saltiness.

Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese over the top for tanginess and texture.

Evenly distribute the dried cherries to introduce sweetness.

Finally, sprinkle the chopped walnuts for a crunchy element.

Serve the sandwiches right away. You can optionally drizzle with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, or vinaigrette to enhance the flavors, but they are fantastic as they are. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar or honey would work as well. You are only limited by your imagination. It’s hard to believe that something this healthy is so good.

This recipe serves two.

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Friday, July 5, 2024

Deck Gardening 2024: Heirloom Tomatoes from Seed

Have you priced seeds recently? I was shocked when I went shopping for them this spring. The prices have doubled and, in some cases, tripled over what I paid last year. Generally speaking, I don’t plant a lot of things by seed because it takes longer to get to the harvest. But I also find that unless I want to pay top dollar for specific seeds because plants aren't readily available at local garden centers, I need to come up with a better alternative…and I have. Harvest my own!

Case in point, these beautiful heirloom tomatoes. I love heirloom tomatoes, not just for taste, but also visual appeal, and I love that there’s a history behind them. These beautiful tomatoes pictured came from Melissa’s Produce. I used them in this salad. While I was slicing them for that salad, I pulled out some of the seeds and set them aside to dry. Two days later, I planted them, and within a week they had sprouted, and with great gusto, I might add. (I'm still kicking myself for failing to harvest seeds from the yellow tomato.).

I cannot tell you how happy I was to see these little tomato plants coming up in the pots on my deck. Will they reach fruition this year? Who knows, but I will certainly have a wonderful time growing them, and I will keep you posted as to what happens.

Since that time I have planted seeds from an all red heirloom tomato, as well as a charentais melon that I also got from Melissa’s Produce. All of these are organically grown, so I know the seeds are going to be free of toxins, and these are the most comfortable I feel growing and eating.

Alstroemeria update.

They are thriving! A fuchsia petunia self-seeded beneath them, so it is quite a lovely display.

“Who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see believes in God.”

-- Anonymous

Monday, May 20, 2024

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

Sometimes the best dishes are the simplest ones; this beautiful heirloom tomato salad is a perfect example. It’s very simple to put together, can be assembled ahead of time, and drizzled with the dressing just before serving, a dressing that is both sophisticated and flavorful. If, like me, you’d prefer not to work with anchovies, do like I did, and use the paste instead. If you grow tomatoes in your garden, consider growing heirlooms. That way you can have this beautiful salad all summer long.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Anchovy Vinaigrette

Adapted from foodandwine.com

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

4 anchovies, minced*

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t. finely grated lemon zest

1 medium Melissa’s shallot, thinly sliced

2 T. red wine vinegar

2 hard-boiled eggs

1½ lb. assorted Melissa’s heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Fleur de sel

Freshly ground pepper

Flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Marjoram leaves, for serving

In a small skillet, combine the olive oil, anchovies, garlic and lemon zest.

In a small bowl, toss the shallot with the vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes.

Arrange the tomatoes on 4 plates and season with fleur de sel and pepper. Scatter the shallot and vinegar over the tomatoes.

Warm the anchovy dressing over moderate heat to a gentle simmer; pour over the tomatoes. Cut the eggs in half crosswise and place a half on each plate. Scatter the parsley and marjoram over the salad and serve at once.

*I used ½ t. of anchovy paste

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Monday, April 25, 2022

Blue Cheese, Tomato, and Herb Salad

There are days when I want to cook fancy…some days…not many days…perhaps none. Honestly, I can’t remember when I last made something fancy. For me, it’s all about comfort. Once I hit a certain age I made some declarations that included flat shoes, comfort cooking, and wearing pants only when necessary.

Abrams Books recently released a new cookbook by Anna Stockwell. It is called For The Table; Easy, Adaptable, Crowd-pleasing Recipes. I knew from the sound of it that it was a book that I could warm up to. I have been planning summer meals, being careful to consider making as much use as possible of fresh summer produce as it becomes available. Consequently, I decided to try her cover recipe Blue Cheese, Tomato, and Herb Salad. It was delicious! Honestly, I couldn’t believe how good the salad was considering the small amount of effort. Fresh herbs, blue cheese, sliced tomatoes, and a little sherry vinegar and oil, make this light, tasty, and pretty enough to serve to company.

Blue Cheese, Tomato, and Herb Salad
From For the Table

4 lbs. mixed heirloom tomatoes,* sliced into ¼” thick rounds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ c. good olive oil
1 T. sherry vinegar
½ lb. mild and firm blue cheese,** sliced into shards
1 c. dill fronds
1 c. parsley
¼ c. finely snipped chives

Place the tomatoes on a large serving platter and season all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then drizzle with the oil and vinegar and let sit at least 10 minutes. Add the cheese and herbs to the platter of tomatoes, and nudge gently to combine; taste and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Serves 6 to 8, recipe easily halved to serve 2 to 4 or doubled to serve 12 to 14

* I didn’t have heirloom tomatoes, so just used red ones
** I used blue cheese crumbles

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of For the Table from Abrams Books as a member of their Abrams Dinner Party 2021-2022.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Green Beans

I LOVE tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes in particular, and use them as often as I can. They appeal not only to my sense of taste, but also to my artistic nature; I simply love all of the wonderful, earthy colors. I'm happy enough just to eat them on their own, but I do like to create new recipes in order to showcase their varied tones.

Here is a simple salad recipe for you, tomato salad with green beans. You read that right, green beans. You can use fresh ones that have been cooked (or blanched if you like your green beans a bit on the crunchy side), or canned. Both taste equally good. I find green to be the perfect backdrop for the tomatoes, because it really makes their colors pop. I like to serve this with homemade vinaigrette (I used a creamy version here and loved it) and lately I've been hooked on pistachios. But, feel free to use your own favorite vinaigrette dressing, or even a bottled one. They all work, because the tomatoes are the stars here. This makes an excellent summer side dish, and is perfect to take to a picnic, or barbecue. It's summery, fresh, and always delicious.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Green Beans

1 container Melissa’s baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 15-ounce can cut green beans (or an equal amount of fresh cooked)
2 cups fresh baby spiach

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon drained capers
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 small red onion, cut into thin slices
Salt and pepper to taste
Your favorite vinaigrette

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl, refrigerate for at least one hour to meld flavors. This keeps for 1 to 3 days refrigerated.

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This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party

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Friday, August 11, 2017

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

I LOVE gazpacho, and making it with heirloom tomatoes is an experience all its own. Using different colors of tomatoes for different batches of gazpacho (It is so easy!) yields the most beautiful cold soup you can imagine. It's quite simple to vary a standard recipe to create as many varieties as you have colors of tomatoes. Today, in a matter of minutes, I made three different types of gazpacho, with three different colors of tomatoes. Look how beautiful it is, and the taste is phenomenal, so fresh and so summery. This is what it's all about.

Go crazy with your toppings; you're only limited by your imagination here. When you're considering a variety of garnishes, go not just for varying tastes, but colors and textures as well. I'm hard-pressed to decide my favorite among this bunch; I love them all!

Here are three recipes. I made all three of them in the food processor, and I didn't even rinse between batches. There's no need to because it is basically all the same thing. So whip up as many as you like, and consider serving each one of your guests a different color. How much fun would that be?!

Yellow Heirloom Gazpacho

1 large yellow heirloom tomato
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoons Melissa’s chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon capers
1/4 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put all ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Top with your favorite garnishes.

Green Heirloom Gazpacho

2 large green heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Melissa’s chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon capers
1/4 of a medium yellow onion
1/4 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

See above for directions.

Red Heirloom Gazpacho

2 large red heirloom tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Melissa’s chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon capers
1/4 of a medium yellow onion
6 fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

See above for directions. In the photo above I topped this with chopped fresh spinach and crumbled bacon and served it as "BLT Gazpacho."

Suggested garnishes
Cucumber
Jalapeno
Chopped spinach
Crumbled bacon
Sliced hearts of palm
Cilantro
Green or black olives, sliced
Kernels of fresh corn

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