The Tomatoes of August – Get ‘Em While You Can
It’s harvest time in Michigan and our Ann Arbor farmers market is brimming with the bounties of the season. Every Wednesday and Saturday I feel like a kid in a candy shop, surrounded by the overstuffed stalls of the nearby farmers who come to share the fruits of their labor. (Come by before dawn sometime and watch the buzz of activity at the market; these folks are the salt of the earth).
Michigan Heirloom Tomato
The selection is overwhelming but there are a few staples that we buy on every visit: corn, garlic, greens and of course the finest most delicious tomatoes of the year! Almost every meal this time of year we serve corn on the cob, then with the leftovers we make corn salsa, corn salad or Lisa’s mom’s famous Chile Con Elote. Tomatoes are served in some form every night. Whether in a caprese salad, a fresh pico de gallo, a sauce for clams and chorizo, shrimp rémoulade over fried green tomatoes or the best B.L.T., for me tomatoes are the stars of the season!
Last night I brought home a nice thick piece of hake. Being a fairly soft textured fish I planned on coating it with panko crumbs and baking at high heat to give it a nice crust. This type of dish is great served over a marinara sauce but the perfect plump, ripe tomato in front of me screamed to be simply served with a slice on top of the hake with melted reggiano Parmesan and a chiffonade of basil. The meal was perfect. A nice fresh fillet of hake, basil from the garden, one of the world’s best cheeses and a slice of Michigan’s finest. Enjoy!
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