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TOMATO BASICS
Buying: For salads and slicing, pick a tomato with smooth, unblemished skin that feels heavy for its size. Less glamorous tomatoes, however, are great for sauces, soups and salsas.
Cooking: A tomato doesn’t need much manipulation to shine — just a smidge of flaky salt. Pair them with mozzarella or burrata and fresh basil in a classic caprese, and let nature do its thing.
A MATTER OF ’MATERS
In season from June to September, tomatoes come in hundreds of varieties, from Mortage Lifters to Green Zebras, with heirlooms especially prized for their unique flavors and rainbow hues.
AROUND RVA
Black Creek Farm: Among the first of the summer, Sungolds are pure sweetness, the kind of snack that disappears before leaving the market.
Hobnob: Light and refreshing on a sweltering day, Hobnob’s gazpacho is loaded with fresh vegetables, including perfectly ripe tomatoes.
Shagbark: One Southern classic, fried green tomatoes, joins another — creamy Byrd Mill grits — along with smoky kale and buttermilk blue cheese dressing.
“My favorite tomatoes are from Village Garden. They have an insane variety of heirlooms.” —Jared Martin, executive chef at The Roosevelt
COOK LIKE A LOCAL
Jared Martin, executive chef at The Roosevelt (Photo by John Murden courtesy The Roosevelt)
Tomato Tartare
By Jared Martin, executive chef at The Roosevelt
In this part of Virginia, growing tomatoes is an art form, and the folks in Hanover County have nearly perfected it. Each year, the annual Hanover Tomato Festival welcomes thousands of visitors from near and far. The Roosevelt's executive chef, Jared Martin, says, “The great thing about tomatoes in the summer is you can build on the flavor in dishes in so many ways.” One of those ways is a reimagined vegan, tomato-based tartare.
4 pounds tomatoes (any red slicing tomato)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup shallots, diced small
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon capers, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place in a food dehydrator* for approximately six hours. Tomatoes should feel tacky but not as dried out as sun-dried tomatoes. Peel the skins and mince the tomato flesh. Combine with salt, olive oil, shallots, parsley, sherry vinegar and capers. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve with crusty bread.
*If you don’t have a food dehydrator, an oven or toaster oven set to 150 degrees Fahrenheit will do the trick.
