Summer Tomatoes (and A Recipe to Boot)

Tomato Tea Pot by OpenDoorStudio on Etsy

My love of tomatoes began when I was a young girl, although I don’t remember exactly when or how it happened. I do know that I always looked forward to late summer, the time when tomatoes started coming into season in my area. Maybe it was the big red juicy ones I ate at one of my grandparents’ homes, or perhaps the fresh picks from the garden of my other grandparents’ home. I would enjoy them alone, in a salad, and even Italian dishes, but I never really liked them too much on a sandwich. A fine tomato was best enjoyed without too many competing flavors.

As I grew older, I still clung to tomatoes. I enjoyed marinara sauces and developed a fondness for tomato, mozzarella, and basil salads with a light vinegarette (which I partially blame Panera for). I started making pasta sauces in my slow cooker with fresh diced tomatoes. Yum.

My husband makes the best breakfast burritos, but my pico de gallo can hold its own against any yumminess!

I recently began exploring pico de gallo recipes, although I could never find one that adequately satisfied my tomato addiction. After making a batch using a few different recipes, I began to get the gist of pico. It wasn’t until my husband and I were recently given a bunch of fresh, homegrown tomatoes that I fleshed out a pico de gallo recipe that I loved.

Here goes:

3-4 fresh medium tomatoes, diced
1 serrano pepper, cored and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
Cilantro leaves, chopped, as much as you like
1/3 of a medium white onion, finely chopped
Lime Juice to Taste
Sea Salt to Taste

Combine these ingredients and chill. That’s it!

Of course, I’m always open to trying new tomato-based recipes, especially since tomato season is here once again. Feel free to share any of your favorite tomato goodies in the comments below!