life is like a box of chocolate, a bowl of cherries, and a bucket of cherry tomatoes. i recently became the recipient of what could only be described as a bounty of organic cherry tomatoes from my friend noelle's garden. as soon as i got alone with them and popped a few (okay, many) in my mouth, nina simone crooning "feeling good" piped through my head and everything else is a blur. how sweet is it that the glory of the tomato can come so tiny? each one tastes vaguely or dramatically different. some spent every day fattening in buttery sunlight, some stayed tiny and tart beneath a tangle of tomato leaves. i left them on the counter overnight and fell asleep thinking of all the possibilities. by morning, the entire house was perfumed with sweet acidic sunshine.
1. use them in a vibrant salad: grilled jumbo prawns, cherry tomatoes, mache, blanched yellow beans, shaved zucchini and spicy lemon-basil dressing
2. make tomato-verbena water. infuse h2o with halved cherry tomatoes and lemon verbena. strain if desired and serve chilled.
3. caprese on a stick: thread a cherry tomato, bocconcini mozzarella, and a basil leaf on a bamboo skewer.
4. make a simple salsa for grilled fish by combining quartered cherry tomatoes, capers, lemon zest, avocado oil and sea salt.
5. slow roast halved cherry tomatoes. after a bath in evoo, salt & pepper, slip them in the oven at 225 for 3 hours.
6. quick roast cherry tomatoes. give them the same bath described above and roast at 400 for 10 minutes.
7. dessert? cherry tomato sundae. sounds peculiarly delicious.
8. marinate cherry tomatoes by dousing them with olive oil, fresh herbs, minced garlic & a quick splash of balsamic vinegar. let the flavors meld for three or four hours. serve spooned over toast.
9. make utterly addictive spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and gremolata. recipe to follow tomorrow....
10. slice open several cherry tomatoes and treat them with "a lash of olive oil, a drizzle of red wine vinegar, and storm of black pepper." eat while devouring sam sifton's ode to the end of the season.
acknowledgments
* a very special thank you to susan s. for turning me on to the sifton article and to noelle l. for growing and sharing such inspiring, adorable tomatoes.