Food & Beverage News: Insights, Safety, and Dining Trends
- Tomatoes are botanically fruits; plant leaves, roots, stems, and some unripe fruit contain tomatine, mildly toxic if ingested.
- Avoid refrigerating ripe tomatoes; cold storage ruins texture and dulls flavor. Color alone does not always indicate ripeness.
- Celebrate National Fresh Tomato Day (April 6) with five curated recipes showcasing tomatoes' seasonality and versatility.
- Featured recipes include Tomato and Egg, Baked Burrata & Chorizo Stuffed Tomatoes, Boozy Fish Stew, Tomato Butter, and Fried Green Tomatoes.
Spring has officially sprung here on the East Coast, meaning it’s almost time for one vegetable — or, rather, berry — to enjoy its peak season. The humble tomato, beloved by many yet scorned by some, slowly awakens from hibernation, reminding us that warm weather, spent indulging in fresh salads and produce-filled sandwiches, is almost here.
There are many things we get wrong about the tomato. To start, they’ve been masquerading as a vegetable when they are actually classified as botanical fruits. They are deemed poisonous, purely for being a part of the nightshade family (fact check: it’s the leaves, roots and stem of the tomato plant — and, in certain cases, unripe fruit — that contain tomatine, an alkaloid that’s mildly toxic to humans). They are often stored in the refrigerator, which spoils their texture and reduces their flavor, regardless of variety. And they come in a myriad of shades — a red hue doesn’t always indicate ripeness.
Outside of the culinary sphere, tomatoes have also become something of a cultural icon, thanks to a “Tomato Girl” microtrend that took off in summer 2023. What initially began as a way of life (think flowy dresses and silk headscarves and walks along the Amalfi coast) became a fashion statement after Loewe released a $3,950 heirloom tomato-shaped clutch bag inspired by a literal tomato.
Tomatoes deserve their time under the spotlight, especially in anticipation of National Fresh Tomato Day, which is on April 6. To celebrate, we compiled our top five tomato-filled recipes that are worth savoring this season.
Tomato and Egg
It’s a match made in heaven — simple yet hearty and fulfilling. “Tomato and egg is a culinary truth, one of those elemental pairings that shows up across cultures not because anyone decided it should, but because it just makes sense,” writes Salon’s Ashlie D. Stevens. “You see it everywhere. Once you start looking.”
Indeed, there’s shakshuka: a popular North African and Middle Eastern dish that’s essentially eggs poached in a simmering tomato sauce spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. There’s Chinese tomato egg stir-fry, which is topped with fresh scallions and served alongside a steaming bowl of rice. There’s Turkish menemen (scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers and onions) along with Italian uova al purgatorio (or “eggs in purgatory,” soft-cooked eggs in a bubbling tomato sauce). And there’s Nigerian egg stew — the list is endless.
If raw tomatoes aren’t really your vibe, try your hand at cooking them and plopping an egg, or two.
Baked Burrata & Chorizo Stuffed Tomatoes with Herbed Breadcrumbs
Similar to onions and a hollowed loaf of crusty bread, you most definitely can stuff a tomato. Case in point: Stevens’ recipe for a decadent baked, stuffed tomato that’s generously filled with herbed breadcrumbs, creamy stracciatella and browned chorizo.
Her formula is simple. First, start with a peak-season beefsteak, its innards scooped and marinated in a bit of salt. Then, layer the inside with pieces of sourdough breadcrumbs, browned chorizo, burrata and more breadcrumbs. Bake this beautiful concoction and sprinkle flaky salt and grated lemon zest on top before serving with pasta or over slices of fresh sourdough.
Boozy Fish Stew
On the theme of cooked tomatoes, Bibi Hutchings’ recipe for a spring stew doesn’t skimp on the seafood, butter, clam juice, booze and, yes, tomatoes. It calls for both diced tomatoes (either canned or fresh) and tomato paste, which are cooked in a large pot alongside browned onions, celery, peppers, shallots, sherry, bourbon and a handful of aromatics. The final touch is the fresh seafood mix. Hutchings uses scallops, large shrimp and fish fillets, but other options like oysters, lobster tails, crabs, mussels and clams are perfectly acceptable.
“This recipe is faster, cleaner and simpler than other seafood stews, bouillabaisse, or cioppino, and by that I mean you will not have to deal with heads, tails, scales, bones or anything repulsive to make the flavorful, deeply-hued base, which is a massive plus for this home cook,” she writes.
Tomato Butter
Not ketchup and not your average sauce, tomato butter takes puréed tomatoes and simmers them with brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, miso, lemon juice and a pinch of salt to create an elegant spread that spans both sweet and savory.
“It’s outrageous on a BLT,” writes Stevens in her recipe. “Fabulous on a cracker with cream cheese. It turns a plain egg sandwich into something practically transcendent. And when the time comes — when the crates of tomatoes start to dwindle and I feel that first late-summer shiver in the air — I’ll settle on a recipe. I’ll make a full batch. I’ll jar it.”
Classic, Crunchy Fried Green Tomatoes
The star of this recipe is firm green tomatoes — crisp, tart and deliciously acidic in flavor. Once sliced, the tomatoes are dipped in flour, then in eggs and, finally, in coarse cornmeal before they are fried to golden-brown perfection. Serve alongside your favorite condiments, whether that’s hot sauce or buttermilk ranch. Enjoy these tomatoes as an appetizer, a side dish, or a midday snack.
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