Italy Part 12

The Treasured "Golden Egg"

There are many memories that I treasure from my grandparents' house in Hutchinson, Kansas. One of them involves my grandma Marj's tomato garden in the backyard. I will always remember the feel of prickly crab grass in my toes as I wander out to where the green tomato vines are sleeping under the sweltering afternoon sun. Carefully, we peek under their leaves in search of the full, orange globes hanging heavily from their steams. When we have picked what we need, we return to the cool shade of the kitchen and wash our picked treasure. The small cherry tomatoes are placed into the lazy susan for snacking, taking their place alongside pickled okra. Their larger counterparts are reserved for sandwiches and tomato preserves. I believe my grandmother's garden not only grew tomatoes, but it also cultivated a special appreciation for its sweet, juicy harvests shared between family. To this day, when I bite into a tomato and juice spurts from my mouth and down my arm, I think of those summer afternoons.  

Oh, the beloved tomato! It stands as one of the world's most grown and consumed fruits... err... vegetable? According to the United States Supreme Court (Nix. v Hedden, 1983), the tomato was declared a vegetable based on its culinary uses. On the other hand, my horticulture professor refereed to the tomato as a fruit based on its nutritional content, declaring that these "sugar balls" contained the perfect balance of sugar and acids that humans are programed to crave. He also taught me that an early name that the Italians gave the tomato was the "golden egg" (not sure of the Italian translation), so perhaps the first varieties introduced in Italy were yellow fleshed. Today, tomatoes can be found in a spectrum of purple, red, yellow and orange, known as the much sought after "Heirlooms" sold in local farmer's markets.

My grandmother no longer has her tomato garden, but I still have appreciation for tomatoes when they can be found swollen and sweet! I was lucky enough to have snagged some last week and decided to make up a few recipes from the Italian cookbook that highlighted the simple joy of this summer time favorite:

Tomato and basil crostini (p. 95)

Semi dried roma tomatoes (p.123)

The Tomato and basil crostinis!
Fresh and easy to make. Just 5 ingredients: bread, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and salt.
These keep well in the refrigerator for one day so if you have leftovers,
try them along side a hearty salad or soup for lunch or melt some sharp cheese or
drape a fried egg over the tops for a twist on breakfast! 

The seasoned tomatoes are ready for the hot oven for "semi-drying".
It was important to have them skin-side down and to have them on a wire rack.
I didn't have one that was high-heat proof  so I settled for my broiler pan. 

Semi dried [non] roma tomatoes!
I am aware that I broke my rules here (not buying the ingredient specified by the recipe).
However, I just couldn't bare to get pale romas when these others were looking so radiant!    

These homemade Semi dried tomatoes make a great accompaniment or topping for
 many things, including hard cheeses, meat sandwiches, or tossed salad.
They also inspired me to prepare an Italian hamburger,
complete with basil and beef patties, pesto sauce and feta cheese!

In honor of my Grandma Marj, I have added pictures of my mother, Connie, preparing her tomato preserves (jam).  This Mugler-family recipe extends the tomatoes' lives well into winter and is enjoyed with hot dinner rolls and breakfast breads. I recently discovered it as a unique garnish for crackers and cream cheese.