Tomatoes still a bright spot in Middle Georgia menus
September is a tricky month for seasonal cooking in Georgia.
Up north, after Labor Day, we immediately see images of scarves, boots, apple cider and pumpkins. Down this way, we get excited about those things, all the while still needing our sandals, short sleeves and ceiling fans. And the idea of turning on the oven to roast some root vegetables? Forget about it.
The chilly weather will get here soon enough (OK, maybe by Thanksgiving), but while we wait for Mother Nature to cool down our neck of the woods, let’s cling to the last bits and bites of summer with what we do best: summer produce.
Like many of you, I’ve become an avid listener of Macon’s newest radio station: 100.9 The Creek. A John Denver song I hear quite often on this jewel of a radio station features an incredibly relatable line for Georgians: “Only two things that money can’t buy/and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.”
I’ve written before about the uncanny difference between homegrown tomatoes and grocery store tomatoes, but if you can’t grow them at home (like me), you can always find them at a roadside stand or at Village Marketplace in Ingleside Village.
Earlier this summer, Alex and I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Hugh Acheson at a cooking demonstration at Robinson Home. Hugh shared his take on a peach and tomato salad that I’ve changed based on the ingredients I had at home, which he advised during the demo, telling us that all Southern cooks have to be resourceful based on what bounty they have at the time. You could use peanuts instead of almonds, add peaches, take out the cucumbers, or change the dressing altogether.
I served this version with some pan-seared salmon and pan-roasted okra, but it would be lovely with any protein as a topper, as a side, or for a light lunch while we still stave off the 90-degree weather.
Alex and Eleta Morrison live in Macon and write a food blog, Bungalow Kitchen. Email them at bungalowkitchenmacon@gmail.com.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
5 large, differently colored heirloom tomatoes
2 celery stalks
1 medium cucumber
¼ cup roasted almonds
¼ cup fresh parsley
1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard
Zest and juice of one lemon
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized chunks, discarding the stems and any pieces that are under-ripe. Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl and cover with 1 teaspoon salt. Mix to combine, then set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cut off the white bottoms of the celery stalks, then mince. If there are any leaves at the top of the stalks, keep them intact —they give a great flavor to the salad. Thinly slice the cucumber into rounds, then cut them into half moon shapes. Give the roasted almonds a rough chop — they don’t have to be the same size. Give the parsley a rough chop, but if some leaves remain intact, that’s OK. Add the celery, cucumber, almonds and parsley to the tomatoes.
For the dressing, add the mustard, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to a small mason jar and shake until combined. Pour dressing over the salad, then mix to combine.
This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Tomatoes still a bright spot in Middle Georgia menus."