The Lovely (and slutty) Tomato

 

Some say toe-may-toe some say toe-ma-toe, but however you say it the tomato rocks.  The tomato is so diverse it can’t be put into any one category.

The tomato is versatile, it’s no one trick stripper just workin’ the healthy pole.  The tomato is so good it’s like getting a nutritional lap dance as well.

The tomato is a slut.  Admit it, the tomato gets around.  It’s literally in everything, from sandwiches to pastas to salads. 

The tomato is also like a vagina.  Mysterious, layered and complicated.  For instance, is the tomato a vegetable or a fruit?  Technically it’s a fruit, but we use it like a vegetable.  See…layered and complicated, just like a little something we ladies got going on downstairs.   

O.k. enough before my husband kills me for calling the tomato a slut.  Let’s have that be our funny little secret.  Time to get serious.  

Cutting A Tomato

When using a cutting board you will want to prevent the cutting board from slipping.  A chef trick is to place a wet towel under the board. 

The type of knife is important when cutting a tomato and you always want to use a SHARP knife.  You can use a serrated knife (my novice personal preference), like the knife used to cut bread.  Ettore recommends using a chef knife, which is a general utility knife derived from a butcher’s knife. Generally chef knifes are all purpose knifes that are approximately 8″ in length and 1 1/2″ in width.

To begin, hold the tomato upright and slice through the tomato and the stem.

Next cut a small V in the top of the tomato and remove stem.  Before making this video I used to just whack off the top of the tomato to remove the stem. It wasted so much of the tomato.  The V technique is much better than my barbaric heavy tomato cutting hand.

Using your knuckles as a guide, slice the tomato length wise.  To further dice tomato, after slicing give the tomato a 1/2 turn and slice again.

Caprese Salad

• This is one of the most delicious, quick, and easy to make summer salads.  You will want to use unrefrigerated vine ripened or heirloom tomatoes.  This recipe serves 4-6.
• 4 vine ripened tomatoes
• 2 fresh mozzarella cheese balls
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• salt, pepper,
• 3 tbl. olive oil

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella into thick 1/4″ slices and alternately arrange on a plate.   Chop basil leaves into small pieces and sprinkle over tomatoes and mozzarella.   Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Drizzle approximately 3 tablespoons of olive oil over tomatoes and mozzarella. Serve immediately.

Happy Eating!

M

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