Farmer's Market Saturday

It was another bountiful day at the Inwood Farmer's market here in Upper Manhattan today, with an abundance of tomatoes. As I predicted in last week's entry, the attack of the LOVELY tomatoes is in full force now, and we're starting to see an abundance of vine-ripened fruits of different varieties, along with some heirloom tomatoes.

Today I grabbed red, yellow and pink full sized tomatoes that had all been ripened on the vine. I couldn't resist these lovelies, and the minute I got home with them, I grabbed the Grey Salt and scarfed down one of each. I even managed to squirt my shirt with tomato juice, I was so eager to taste them. If I can resist, I will save the rest and bake them for a wonderful baked tomato sauce:


Baked Tomatoes

Tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Garlic
Parsley
Basil
Olive oil
Butter
Parmesan cheese

Cut the tomatoes in half. Season with salt and pepper and place in a baking dish facing up. Mix a few cloves of minced garlic with a small handful of minced parsley, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Pour this mixture over the tomatoes (be sure to get it in the nooks and crannies. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top. Bake in a 425-degree oven until browned on top, about an hour.


Combine some softened butter with another handful of minced parsley, a splash of olive oil and some strips of basil. Remove the skins from a few of the baked tomatoes, mash them, and add to the butter and herb mixture. Gently mix in the rest of the tomatoes and their juices and Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This makes a great pasta sauce, or a zesty topping for sauteed chicken breast or an herbed pork chop!




© Mark Tafoya