There’s a reason the French call them ‘love apples’

o7Your gorgeous skin

Your perfect shape

O sensuous tomato

Why is it 10 months out of 12

You taste like a potato?

f7

Tomatomania is a disease endemic to the population of North

America.

The symptoms are: 1. Seasonal Myopia -- persistently buying

tomatoes even though they are out of season; 2. Hyperoptimism -- an

elevated expectation that the next one will actually taste like a

tomato; 3.Optical Delusion -- a misguided belief that a beautiful red

tomato is actually ripe; 4. Obsessive Compulsive Patterning -- the

conviction that every sandwich must have a slice of tomato for

completion.

Everybody loves tomatoes, so much so that we are willing to eat

red-orange tennis balls, plucked green and engineered to survive

machine picking, transcontinental truck rides and gas ripening. The

French love tomatoes so much that they call them o7pommes d’amourf7

(love apples). Tomatoes are the most popular homegrown vegetable in

America -- or should we say fruit.

Scientifically, it is a fruit of the vine. However, in 1887, the

Supreme Court, in order to tax them, declared them a vegetable

because, “in the common language of the people,” they are vegetables

... because they are not served as dessert.

The tomato is thought to have originated in the Andes of Peru and

spread to Central America and Mexico, probably as a weed. It was

first cultivated there in about AD 700. An Aztec dish of tomatoes

with chilies and squash seeds may be the earliest salsa recipe.

The tomato was brought back to Europe by the Spanish

conquistadores and called a golden apple (it must have been a

yellow-skinned variety). The Italians called them o7pomi d’orof7.

Even though they were a popular foodstuff in France and Italy, the

British first grew them as ornamental climbing plants. The

Elizabethans thought that their bright red color was a warning signal

that indicated they were poisonous.

Even though the British eventually used them in cooking, when they

arrived in North America, people were still suspicious of their

edibility. In 1820, Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson, in one of the

first publicity stunts on record, boasted he would eat an entire

bushel in public to prove they were safe.

Thousands came to watch this feat of derring-do and were probably

disappointed when he didn’t drop dead. A recent University of

California study identified the tomato as the single most important

fruit or vegetable in western diets in terms of an overall source of

vitamins and minerals. Cholesterol free, tomatoes are rich in

vitamins A and C and fiber and have few calories.

When shopping for tomatoes in season (July through October),

choose the ones that are brightly colored, unblemished and heavy for

their size. Beware heirloom tomatoes! They can be fabulous,

distinctly flavored and worth triple the price, but if they are in

your local supermarket, they are probably no better than the rest.

When you get them home, o7never f7refrigerate them. It causes

them to lose their flavor. Keep them in a cool place, stem-side down,

for one or two days to ripen and become even more flavorful.

For some recipes, you may want to skin them. This is done by

cutting a shallow X on the bottom, submerging in boiling water for 30

to 40 seconds, and plunging into cold water. The skins will slip off

easily. When cooking, use a stainless steel, enamel or coated pan

because their acidity reacts with certain metals.

To neutralize excessive acidity in tomatoes when cooking, add a

bit of sugar or sweet carrot. When making tomato sauce, the famous

chef Simone Beck suggested using 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee

dissolved in 1/2 cup of the sauce for every 2 cups of volume, a

little known trick, helpful to diabetics.

Remarkable results can come from very simple recipes. And

remember, every fresh herb loves a tomato.

It’s a sexy fruit that bursts with flavor and juiciness.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

Serves 4

2 large tomatoes, peeled (see above), cut in 1/2 inch dice

1/4 cup best olive oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed chilies

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

salt to taste

pinch of sugar

optional: freshly grated Parmesan, shredded basil

Saute chilies in olive oil for 30 seconds.

Add garlic and saute just until it starts to turn golden.

Add tomatoes. Stir in salt and sugar. Cook for a minute and turn

off heat.

Serve over pasta.

Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan.

TOMATO CHEESE BRUSCHETTAS

Serves 8

8 plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

salt

freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 loaf day-old French baguette, cut into sixteen 1/2 inch

slices

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic

purchased pesto

2 slices provolone cheese, each slice cut into eighths

a few basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Place tomatoes cut side up on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt

and pepper.

3. Whisk together balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil. Brush

tomatoes with mixture and bake for 30 minutes.

4. While tomatoes are baking, heat garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil

for 30 seconds.

Put bread rounds on a baking sheet. Brush bread with garlic oil.

Bake 10 minutes or until toasted.

5. To assemble bruschettas, place a pea-sized blob of pesto on

each toast.

Top with a piece of cheese and then a tomato half, cut-side down.

Garnish with a small piece of basil.