Tomato Time

As far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many great summer tomatoes. I was out working in my small garden today and J. commented that all of our tomatoes would probably be ripe at the same time and I thought “okay, I can deal with that.” In reality, it can be daunting to have twenty or more ripe tomatoes sitting there on the counter, knowing that there will be more the following day and the day after that. We’re not at that point yet, but I have memories from years past when this was indeed the case.

My first thought goes to making bruschetta and I have to admit that we could eat that every night. Of course there’s caprese salad and panini and panzanella, that fabulous salad with tomatoes and bread. I see trays of tomatoes in my future, roasting in the oven, eventually bound for sauces and also for the freezer to tide us over through the winter. I could go on and on about the wonders of the summer tomato but you’re probably wondering why there’s a picture of chives in this post? Well, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes for a great tomato side dish and chives are a key ingredient!

Broiled Tomatoes with Mustard Herb Mayonnaise

3 medium tomatoes
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black papper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half or into 1-1/2″ thick slices. Place cut side up into a baking dish.

In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, mustard, 1 tablespoon parsley, salt, pepper, chives and 2 tablespoons cheese. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of mixture on top of each tomato, spreading to cover the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until hot. Turn the oven to broil and brown until glazed and bubbling, remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 6
From The Taste of Summer by Diane Rossen Worthington.
These are lovely served with grilled meat or fish.