9 TOMATO RECIPES BY GRAMERCY TAVERN CHEF MICHAEL ANTHONY
Talk to a tomato lover about high tomato season, when the sun’s fully saturated each fruit and you can smell the ripeness coming off the skin from two feet away, and prepare for a lull in the conversation: for a moment, the tomato lover can’t even remember where they are, or who they’re talking to. They’re lost in tomatoland.
As much as we all like to imagine ourselves in next to a pool filled with tomatoes, diving in, there is some virtue to actually using them in cooking. And in our August issue, chef Michael Anthony from NYC’s Gramercy Tavern came up with amazing ways to use tomatoes, from simply poaching them in garlicky oil to using sweet little Sun Golds to make a warm, spicy sauce. Tomatoland’s calling.
Green Panzanella with Pickled Shallot
We love the shades of green you get from using one color of heirlooms, but this salad is equally delicious with any tomatoes you like.
6 Servings
Ingredients
Tomatoes and Pickled Shallot
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
3 1/2 pounds assorted ripe green heirloom tomatoes (such as Green Zebras), cut into wedges
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Croutons and Assembly
4 cups torn 1 1/2-inch pieces white country bread, with crusts (about 1/2 of a 1-pound loaf)
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 cups arugula, thick stems trimmed
Tomatoes and Pickled Shallot
Combine shallot and vinegar in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Let stand 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and let stand 15 minutes.
Transfer 2 tablespoons vinegar from shallot mixture to a large bowl (reserve remaining vinegar with shallots). Whisking constantly, gradually add oil; whisk until combined. Season dressing with salt, pepper, and more vinegar from shallot mixture, if desired.
Add tomatoes and their juices to dressing and gently toss to coat. Let tomato mixture stand at room temperature until tomatoes release more juices and soften slightly, about 1 hour.
Croutons and Assembly
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Combine bread and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze bread pieces lightly with your hands so they will evenly absorb oil and spread out in a single layer.
Bake bread pieces, tossing occasionally, until crisp on the outside but still chewy in the center, 10–15 minutes. Let croutons cool slightly, then discard garlic.
Add arugula and croutons to bowl with tomato mixture; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Drain pickled shallot. Serve panzanella topped with pickled shallot.
Spaghetti with Sun Gold Tomato Sauce
Warm spices, supersweet Sun Gold tomatoes, and a short cooking time reinvent the ordinary marinara.
4 SERVINGS
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 sprigs basil
1 sprig thyme
1/2 sprig tarragon
1 whole star anise pod
1 whole clove
4 cups Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons Sherry or red wine vinegar
tablespoons Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
12 ounces spaghetti
Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft but not brown, 6–8 minutes. Add garlic, basil, thyme, and tarragon sprigs, star anise, and clove, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes release their juices and a sauce forms, 10–15 minutes. Discard thyme, tarragon, and basil sprigs, star anise, and clove. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce in skillet. Cook, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes.
DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat before tossing with spaghetti.
Chilled Tomato and Stone Fruit Soup
This riff on gazpacho gets unexpected sweetness—and great color—from the addition of cherries and a peach.
6 SERVINGS
Ingredients
2 pounds beefsteak tomatoes (about 4), quartered
1 large English hothouse cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut into pieces
1 large ripe peach, peeled, halved
1/2 jalapeño, seeded (or with seeds for a spicier soup), chopped
1/2 garlic clove
1 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) cherries (about 8 ounces), pitted
2 tablespoons (or more) white balsamic or Sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
Freshly ground black pepper
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Pulse tomatoes in a blender until finely chopped and transfer to a large bowl. Pulse cucumber, peach, jalapeño, garlic, and cherries in blender until finely chopped and add to bowl with tomatoes. Mix in vinegar, 1/4 cup oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1 cup cold water; season with pepper. Cover and let sit at room temperature 1 hour, or chill at least 12 hours.
Season soup with kosher salt, pepper, and more oil and vinegar, if desired. Serve soup drizzled with oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper.
DO AHEAD: Soup can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Pickled Fennel
The flavor of the spiced pickled fennel really pops with the sweet tomatoes.
6 SERVINGS
Ingredients
Pickled Fennel
1 whole star anise pod
1 teaspoon aniseed
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 lemongrass stalk, tough outer layer removed, crushed
Zest of 1/4 orange, removed with a vegetable peeler
1 medium fennel bulb, cored, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups unseasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Assembly
2 pounds large heirloom tomatoes (about 3), cut into wedges
1 cup cherry tomatoes, preferably heirloom, halved
2 tablespoons white balsamic or Sherry vinegar
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Cubanelle peppers or Anaheim Chiles, sliced into 3/4-inch rings, seeded
Fennel fronds (for serving)
Special Equipment
Cheesecloth
Pickled Fennel
Toast star anise, aniseed, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Bundle toasted spices, lemongrass, and orange zest in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to make a sachet. Place sachet and fennel in a 1-quart jar or bowl.
Bring vinegar, sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Pour vinegar mixture over sachet and fennel and let cool; discard sachet. Cover fennel and chill at least 12 hours.
DO AHEAD: Pickled fennel can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.
Assembly
Combine large and cherry tomatoes, vinegar, and 6 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
Before serving, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Cook Cubanelle peppers, tossing often, until charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Serve tomato salad topped with peppers, pickled fennel, and fennel fronds.
Halibut with Tomato-Cherry Vinaigrette
Fluke, hake, or cod are all good substitutions for the halibut.
4 SERVINGS
Ingredients
Tomato-Cherry Vinaigrette
1 small sprig basil
1/2 pound tomatoes (such as beefsteak or cherry), coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh sweet (or frozen, thawed) cherries, pitted
1/4 cup fresh sour cherries, pitted, or sour cherries in light syrup from a jar, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon (or more) sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Halibut
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
4 6-ounce halibut fillets
Preparation
Tomato-Cherry Vinaigrette
Combine basil, tomatoes, sweet and sour cherries, vinegar, shallot, sugar, and 1/8 tsp. salt in a large bowl; cover and let sit at room temperature for 1–2 hours.
Remove basil sprig. Purée tomato mixture in a blender until smooth; strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, whisk in oil, and season with salt.
Halibut
Season halibut with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Cook halibut until golden brown and just opaque in the center, about 4 minutes per side.
Serve halibut with tomato-cherry vinaigrette, drizzled with oil.
DO AHEAD: Vinaigrette can be made one day ahead. Cover and chill.
Oil-Poached Tomatoes
4 SERVINGS
Ingredients
1 pound plum tomatoes (about 6), halved, cored
1 head of garlic, cloves separated
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 300°. Toss tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and thyme sprigs, oil, and salt in a large baking dish.
Bake tomatoes until they are soft and skins begin to shrivel, 35–45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then slip off skins. Discard herbs.
DO AHEAD: Tomatoes can be made 5 days ahead. Cover tomatoes and oil and chill.
Tomato Risotto
Finishing this risotto with Tomato Water in place of stock gives it a pure, bright tomato flavor.
6 SERVINGS
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup Tomato Water (click recipe)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan plus more for serving
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
6 Oil-Poached Tomato halves, coarsely chopped (click recipe)
Bring 6 cups water to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat, cover and keep warm.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring often, until water is absorbed.
Continue adding water by 1/2-cupfuls, stirring often, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite, 20–25 minutes. (You may not need all the water).
Mix in Tomato Water, butter, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring often, until liquid is mostly absorbed, about 2 minutes. Mix in Oil-Poached Tomatoes.
Serve risotto topped with more Parmesan.
(ORIGINAL ARTICLE)
9 Tomato Recipes
