I’m in full tomato mode, a phrase I saw tweeted recently by the excellent New York magazine food reporter Chris Crowley that tracks closely with my current state of mind. I’m going wild at the market, buying all manner of tomatoes, arranging them on my counter with reverence and then eating them as though I’ve joined a religious order devoted to this one particular, highly seasonal food.
I make Caprese salad, corn and tomato salad, salad-e Shirazi, pasta with marinated tomatoes, tomato sandwiches fortified with a thick layer of mayo. I saw that Ina Garten of “Barefoot Contessa” posted a tomato salad with blue cheese on Instagram. (She said she buys a rotisserie chicken to go with it, and dinner is ready. If Ina does it, so should you.) I’ll also be making sauce moyo to have with grilled fish. And gazpacho. And tomato tart, and paneer con tomate. I am a tomato monster. I will not be stopped.
Cold Noodles With Tomatoes
Halved cherry tomatoes provide a strong flavor foundation for this cold noodle dish. This dish leans into the wonders of ripe tomatoes and lets you taste them as they are: raw and juicy. Julienned cucumber would taste wonderful here, as would supple poached shrimp or halved hard-boiled eggs.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings