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 couldn't tell from the soaring temps or lingering smell of barbecue, summer is in full swing. 

wes usually works sunday evenings and we do not have air conditioning, so i've started retreating to my parents house to cook, catch up over cocktails and swim in their pool. 

my parents have a beautiful large yard and plenty of beautiful herbs growing. since i can't seem to grow chives, they are usually a sunday ingredient in one way or another. 

after a busy work week, and a saturday spent cleaning my house, for sunday's dinner i needed a fool proof, low maintenance dish that would deliver in flavor but leave us free from dishes. basically the goal was to spend as little time prepping and cooking in a hot kitchen and the maximum time swimming and enjoying the summer evening. 

this marinated steak and quickly blended herb sauce takes almost no prep time, about 10 minutes on the grill and less than a handful of dishes. 

and it's freaking delicious. win. win. 

herb marinated flank steak
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes + 10 minutes to rest
ingredients: 2 lbs flat iron steak (about 1 inch thick). 1 c red wine vinegar. .5 c soy sauce. .25 c olive oil. 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 2 tbs roughly chopped oregano. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
chefs note: you can easily sub any cut of steak that takes a marinade well. if you can't find flatiron you could use, flap meat, flank steak, hanger or london broil. 

start by patting your meat dry with a paper towel. place the steak in a flat dish and season both sides well with the salt and the pepper. 

in a medium sized bowl, combine the herbs, garlic, liquids and brown sugar and whisk well to combine. 

pour the marinade over the meat, cover and set the meat aside to marinate for 1-24 hours. note: if you are going to marinate the meat for longer than 1 hour, marinate it in your refrigerator and take it out 1 hour before cook time. 

preheat your grill to a nice high heat.
when the grill is nice and hot (400-425f) remove the steak from the marinade and place it on a hot part of the grill. close the grill and sear until the meat has good grill marks. 4-5 minutes. 

flip the steak, cover the grill and sear the other side for 4-5 minutes.

at this point your steak should be medium rare in the middle with some more done parts on the thinner/smaller ends. if you desire your meat a little more done, move the meat to a cooler part of the grill and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes covered. if medium rare is how your prefer your meat, remove the steak after you have seared both sides. when your meat has been remove from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 7-10 minutes. 

while the meat is resting, assemble your chimichurri. 

chive chimichurri
serves: 1 cup
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 1 tbs roughly chopped thyme (mine had blossoms and they were beautiful so i included them). 1 tbs roughly chopped oregano. .75 c olive oil. .25 c red wine vinegar. zest of 1 lemon. juice of .5 lemon 2 garlic cloves, smashed. 

in a food processor or blender, combine the herbs, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and vinegar. blend until everything is minced and well combined. if you are with out a food processor or blender, you can mince the ingredients by hand and whisk them together in a bowl. with the processor on, pour in the olive oil. once combined, serve over the grilled protein or vegetable of your choice. 

after you meat has rested and the juices of settled, slice the meat into .5-1 inch slices against the grain. drizzle with chimichurri and serve. 

xoxo
a

herb marinated flat iron steak
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes + 10 minutes to rest
ingredients: 2 lbs flat iron steak (about 1 inch thick). 1 c red wine vinegar. .5 c soy sauce. .25 c olive oil. 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 2 tbs roughly chopped oregano. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
chefs note: you can easily sub any cut of steak that takes a marinade well. if you can't find flatiron you could use, flap meat, flank steak, hanger or london broil. start by patting your meat dry with a paper towel. place the steak in a flat dish and season both sides well with the salt and the pepper.
in a medium sized bowl, combine the herbs, garlic, liquids and brown sugar and whisk well to combine.
pour the marinade over the meat, cover and set the meat aside to marinate for 1-24 hours. note: if you are going to marinate the meat for longer than 1 hour, marinate it in your refrigerator and take it out 1 hour before cook time.
preheat your grill to a nice high heat.
when the grill is nice and hot (400-425f) remove the steak from the marinade and place it on a hot part of the grill. close the grill and sear until the meat has good grill marks. 4-5 minutes.
flip the steak, cover the grill and sear the other side for 4-5 minutes.
at this point your steak should be medium rare in the middle with some more done parts on the thinner/smaller ends. if you desire your meat a little more done, move the meat to a cooler part of the grill and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes covered. if medium rare is how your prefer your meat, remove the steak after you have seared both sides. when your meat has been remove from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 7-10 minutes.
while the meat is resting, assemble your chimichurri.
after you meat has rested and the juices of settled, slice the meat into .5-1 inch slices against the grain. drizzle with chimichurri and serve. 

chive chimichurri
serves: 1 cup
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 tbs roughly chopped chives. 1 tbs roughly chopped thyme (mine had blossoms and they were beautiful so i included them). 1 tbs roughly chopped oregano. .75 c olive oil. .25 c red wine vinegar. zest of 1 lemon. juice of .5 lemon 2 garlic cloves, smashed.
in a food processor or blender, combine the herbs, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and vinegar. blend until everything is minced and well combined. if you are with out a food processor or blender, you can mince the ingredients by hand and whisk them together in a bowl. with the processor on, pour in the olive oil. once combined, serve over the grilled protein or vegetable of your choice.