over the years i have made no secret about the fact that i am in love with tomatoes. fresh summer tomatoes from the vine are unparalleled as far as i’m concerned. and now that my friend’s and family’s tomato plants are pumping out plump summer gems, i’m getting many texts and emails asking me what to do with them.

and my best advice is to keep it simple. don’t put them in your fridge. don’t cook them. don’t marinate them. try to eat them in their rawest forms as soon as you can. each different variety (try as many as you can from your market or produce store while they are in season and at their best) has it’s own unique flavor. i like to enhance those flavors with a little salt on the tomato itself and rich, bold, but cooling flavors to enhance the sweet, tangy flavor of tomatoes. pistachios, sharp stilton blue cheese and peppery arugula really increase the glory of summer tomatoes in this dish.

the best part is, no cooking required (no one wants to turn on the stove or oven right now) and can be made up in a matter of minutes.

stilton & summer tomato salad with chimichurri

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lb mixed summer tomatoes, sliced about one fourth an inch thick. 4 cups arugula. .5 cup sliced stilton cheese. .25 cup pistachios, roughly chopped. 1 tbs chopped fresh chives. 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley. 1 tbs chopped fresh basil. .5 cup olive oil. .25 cup red wine vinegar. 1 tbs honey. .1 tsp minced garlic. 5 tsp red pepper flakes (you can leave this out if you don’t want your dish to be spicy at all). 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by making your chimichurri. combine the herbs, oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, half the salt and pepper and the pepper flakes together in a bowl. stir well to combine and set aside.

layer your tomatoes onto a platter. season with the remaining salt and pepper.

top with arugula, stilton and sprinkle with the pistachios.

drizzle your chimichurri over the salad.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

stilton & summer tomato salad with chimichurri

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lb mixed summer tomatoes, sliced about one fourth an inch thick. 4 cups arugula. .5 cup sliced stilton cheese. .25 cup pistachios, roughly chopped. 1 tbs chopped fresh chives. 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley. 1 tbs chopped fresh basil. .5 cup olive oil. .25 cup red wine vinegar. 1 tbs honey. 1 tsp minced garlic. .5 tsp red pepper flakes (you can leave this out if you don’t want your dish to be spicy at all). 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by making your chimichurri. combine the herbs, oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, half the salt and pepper and the pepper flakes together in a bowl. stir well to combine and set aside. layer your tomatoes onto a platter. season with the remaining salt and pepper. top with arugula, stilton and sprinkle with the pistachios. drizzle your chimichurri over the salad. serve and enjoy.

if you have been following me for any length of time, you know i'm a freak for tomatoes. if you are new, well, i'm a tomato freak. 

as a kid, i would take tomatoes to school in my lunch with a homemade salt shaker made by my mother and eat that bad boy like an apple. i would salt each bite perfectly and didn't give a rats patootie that everyone on the school lunch tables was looking at me like i was crazy.  

looking back now, there were so many signs i would be a cook someday that just didn't seem to mean much then. 

and in my older age, my love of tomatoes has only increased. i'm not really talking about the mealy, all water, no flavor type you get in the off seasons at the super markets. i'm talking about juicy, multi color, crazy shaped and sized SUMMER tomatoes. and friends, we are in the middle of tomato season. i'm in heaven. 

i had picked up a ton of tomatoes from my local produce store for my heirloom tomato & plum salad that i was making for a catering event and got lucky with a few left over. and so this tasty dish was born. you could make this for a delicious summer lunch date or as an appetizer for your next summer gathering. or hell, just for a snack like i did today. 

summer tomato + ricotta toast

serves: 2

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 1 cup diced summer tomatoes (whatever you can find, bonus points if they come from someone's garden). 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tsp lemon juice. 1 tbs fresh basil, sliced thin. .5 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp freshly ground pepper. 4 x 1 inch slices of ciabatta bread. 2 tbs butter. 4 tbs whole milk ricotta. balsamic 2 tbs balsamic glaze (my favorite is from trader joe's, but you can find balsamic glaze at most major super markets near the vinegar/salad dressings). 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. while the oven heats, lightly butter both sides of each slice of ciabatta bread. place the bread on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes a side. until the bread is nice and toasty on the outside. while the bread is toasting, combine the tomato, lemon juice, the garlic and the salt & pepper in a medium bowl.

add in the basil and stir to combine.

when the bread is done toasting, spread 1 tbs of ricotta on each slice of bread.

top each toast with a big spoonful of the tomato mixture.

drizzle the toasts with the balsamic glaze.

serve and enjoy. 

xo, a

summer tomato + ricotta toast

serves: 2

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

total time: 20 minutes

ingredients: 1 cup diced summer tomatoes (whatever you can find, bonus points if they come from someone's garden). 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tsp lemon juice. 1 tbs fresh basil, sliced thin. .5 tsp kosher salt. .25 tsp freshly ground pepper. 4 x 1 inch slices of ciabatta bread. 2 tbs butter. 4 tbs whole milk ricotta. balsamic 2 tbs balsamic glaze (my favorite is from trader joe's, but you can find balsamic glaze at most major super markets near the vinegar/salad dressings). 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. while the oven heats, lightly butter both sides of each slice of ciabatta bread. place the bread on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes a side. until the bread is nice and toasty on the outside. while the bread is toasting, combine the tomato, lemon juice, the garlic and the salt & pepper in a medium bowl. add in the basil and stir to combine. when the bread is done toasting, spread 1 tbs of ricotta on each slice of bread. top each toast with a big spoonful of the tomato mixture. drizzle the toasts with the balsamic glaze. serve and enjoy.