Ode to the farmers' market tomato

I live in New York City and I love my local farmers' market. The Union Square Greenmarket is open four days a week and is home to all kinds of farmers, bakers, various artisans and even a fish purveyor. I buy arugula and fresh soybeans from Julie at PNS Farms. Suzanne at Cherry Lane Farms grows squash blossoms, zucchini, okra, green and red tomatoes, lima beans, and eggplant. Windfall Farms sells baby kale, sunflower sprouts, broccoli sprouts, baby pea greens and corn shoots that are astonishingly beautiful and delicious.

Shopping at a farmers' market is an entirely different experience than shopping in a supermarket. The farmers have raised everything they sell, they have nurtured their crops and are invested in your enjoyment of their produce in a way that a grocery store clerk just isn't.

I am always amazed at the variety of produce offered at the market and I especially love finding something I haven't tried before and having the opportunity to talk with the farmer who grew it. The first time I came across kohlrabi (now one of my favorite vegetables) I had no idea what it was or how to eat it. If I had seen it at a supermarket, I would have passed it by for a turnip, but at the market, the farmer who grew it told me how to peel and cook it and that I could also eat it raw. When she said, "just take it home and try it, you'll love it, you'll see" I had to, and I'm glad that I did.

Farmers' markets are increasingly popular in the United States, in fact, according to the USDA, "The number of farmers markets in the United States has grown dramatically, increasing 63 percent from 1994 to 2000. According to the 2000 National Farmers Market Directory, there were over 2,800 farmers markets operating in the United States."

For me, the biggest reason to shop at farmers' markets is flavor. Food that is locally grown and picked when it is ripe simply tastes better. But, farmers' markets provide an important service in our society. They help keep small farmers in business, and these small farmers in turn keep green spaces around us. They provide a place for lower income families to purchase high quality fresh produce that is all too often not available in their local supermarkets. They are also far more likely than large corporate farms to grow their produce organically.

There is no better place to buy tomatoes than farmers' markets. Once a tomato is ripe and ready to be picked it is extremely fragile and loses its flavor within a few days. Only a local farmer can pick them at their peak and bring them quickly to the market. Supermarkets sell tomatoes that are picked well before they ripen in order to allow time for them to be shipped long distances. By storing them on your counter, the will eventually turn red but the sweet, succulent, ripe tomato flavor can only come from a truly vine ripened tomato.

Not only are tomatoes wonderfully delicious, they are quite nutritious as well. One medium tomato contains 40% of the vitamin C you need per day. They contribute potassium, vitamin A and small amounts of iron and calcium and tomatoes contain anti-oxidants, which help protect healthy cells from damage.

When purchasing tomatoes, keep the following in mind. A truly ripe tomato should be tender but not mushy. It should smell like a tomato and it should be heavy with juice. When you bring it home, don't put it in the refrigerator, just store it on your counter until you are ready to use it.

If you don't know of a farmers' market in your area, the USDA maintains a list of markets on-line at www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm. The tomatoes are ready and waiting so head out to your local farmers' market, meet the farmers and then bring home some of their beautiful local tomatoes and try them in these delightful recipes.

Panzanella

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 slices of Italian bread cut into large dice (1-1/2 cups)
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Toss well to blend all the ingredients and season to taste.
3. Serve at room temperature.

Basic Tomato Sauce

If you grow your own tomatoes and have a bumper crop or have purchased too many, don't panic, tomatoes are very easy to save for use in the winter. Tomato sauce is quite easy to make and freezes very well. I make a large batch and then freeze it in small portions in freezer bags.

You can make an endless number of variations of this sauce using different herbs and seasonings. If you don't have the time to make sauce now, you can dice raw tomatoes and freeze them. Later in the year, you can thaw them to make tomato sauce or add to soups and stews. It is less expensive to freeze them now and the flavor is far superior to tomatoes that you can buy during the winter months.

Yields approximately 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-7 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried basil)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
• salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of crush red pepper

Method

1. Gently heat the olive oil in a large pot. (Don't let the olive oil start to smoke, it will be too hot and burn the onions and garlic.)
2. Add the onions, celery and fennel seed and sauté gently until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. (Do not allow the garlic to brown, it easily develops an unpleasant burnt flavor.)
4. Add the tomatoes and the dried herbs. (If you are using fresh herbs always add them in closer to the end of cooking their flavor is more delicate.)
5. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste and cook until the tomatoes are completely broken down (approximately 45 minutes).
6. When finished cooking, pour it into another container to cool it down.
7. 7. Once it is cool, place it in freezer bags and freeze. (I lay the sealed bags on a cookie sheet so that they freeze flat. Once they are frozen, remove them from the pan and they will stay flat and fit in your freezer more efficiently. Don't forget to label the bags with the date that the sauce was made so that you know how long it has been in the freezer.)

Oven roast Cherokee tomatoes with goat cheese and extra virgin olive oil

Michel Nischan, Executive Chef at heartbeat, at the W Hotel in New York City has provided this recipe.

Yield: 12 Hors d'oeuvres

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
• 6 medium, purple cherokee tomatoes split in half from top to bottom
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 pieces of young goat cheese - about a teaspoon each
• 6 rosemary sprigs

Method

Combine one tablespoon of the oil with the vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Add the split tomatoes and toss very gently. Make sure each tomato is lightly coated with the vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and cook in a 150∞ oven. Dry slowly for four to six hours, turning the cookie sheet constantly to ensure even drying. The tomatoes should shrink considerably, but remain somewhat soft and syrupy. Do not completely dry the tomatoes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Place a piece of cheese in the center of each tomato. Fold the tomato slightly to cradle the cheese. Insert a rosemary sprig into one end of the tomato, through the cheese and out the other end of the tomato. This will hold the tomato and cheese together. Repeat using all the tomatoes, cheese and rosemary. Drizzle lightly with the remaining oil. Allow to stand for 30 minutes and serve.

Heirloom tomato salad

Michel Nischan, Executive Chef at heartbeat, at the W Hotel in New York City writes about this recipe he provided www.thegreenguide.com: "The success and excitement of this recipe comes from using a variety of tomatoes. I always try to have one each of four different varieties of tomatoes. The color, flavor, and textural differences of each provide a considerable WOW factor.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe brandywine tomato
• 1 ripe "big daddy sunshine" tomato
• 1 ripe evergreen tomato
• 1 german (marble) strip tomato
• 1 to 2 teaspoons malt or aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• chopped fennel or basil leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Slice each tomato into 1/4 inch-thick slices. Sprinkle each slice with fennel, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Stack the slices, alternating colors, onto two chilled plates. Sprinkle with more fennel and serve immediately.

Pan roast chicken with heirloom tomatoes and fresh bay leaf

Michel Nischan, Executive Chef at heartbeat, at the W Hotel in New York City has provided this recipe.

Yield: Two portions

Ingredients

• 2 each skin-on, semi-boneless chicken breasts
• 2 fresh basil leaves, sliced
• 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
• 2 cups reduced rich chicken stock
• 2 super-ripe heirloom tomatoes like brandywine or purple cherokee
• sea salt and freshly milled pepper to taste
• aged balsamic vinegar to taste

Method

Heat a medium sauté pan over a low flame for several minutes until the pan is quite hot. Lightly season each chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub the grapeseed oil onto the skin of each chicken breast and place the breasts, skin side down, into the hot sauté pan. Turn the heat up to medium and allow the breasts to cook until well browned. Turn the chicken breasts over. Use a paper towel to absorb the excess fat. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked. Remove the chickens to a heated holding plate and keep warm. Increase the flame and reduce the chicken stock until it coats a spoon like syrup. Reduce the flame and add the chopped tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to just heat through. Swirl the pan, rather than stirring, so the tomatoes retain their individual shape and color. Remove from the flame immediately and swirl in the sliced basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add balsamic vinegar if the sauce needs acidity.