Tomato Time

Late August in Salem at 1000 feet elevation can only mean one thing: Tomato Time! Our tomato plants are growing like mad and soon we’ll be swimming in tomatoes. This year, we’ve decided not to do any tomato canning because we still have plenty left over from last summer. Because of this, I’m on the look out for as many fresh tomato recipes that I can find. Below, you’ll find two of our family favorites. But they both use cherry or grape tomatoes. What are we going to do with all of our Roma and slicing tomatoes so that they don’t go to waste? Sure, we’ll give some to our neighbors, we’ll make plenty of Caprese salads, and lots of fresh pasta sauces.

Tomato, Basil, And White-Bean Salad
Prep:10 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 4

2 (19oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 (12oz) baskets small cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1tsp coarse salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 small garlic cloves, minced

1. Combine beans, tomatoes, basil, and salt in a bowl, and season with pepper.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
3. Pour over bean mixture, and gently toss.
4. Let stand 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Salad can be covered and kept at room temperature up to 4 hours.

Baked Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan Topping
Prep: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Serves: 4

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 (12oz) baskets cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tsp coarse salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Pour oil into a shallow (broiler proof) ceramic baking dish.
3. Add tomatoes and stir to coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Top with basil and cheese
5. Bake tomatoes just until plump and shiny but not splitting. About 10 minutes.
6. Preheat broiler and broil tomatoes until the begin splitting and the cheese begins to brown. About 2 minutes longer.

These are really yummy recipes. Even my kids love both of them.
Does anyone else have any great tomato recipes that they’d like to share?