Farmers market heirloom tomatoes. The "before" shot.
I was at the Matthews Farmers Market recently. We arrived a little late (9:30 a.m.) and so I made a beeline for the Grateful Growers Farm booth so I could maybe score some of their amazing pork chops. I spotted Natalie and asked her, with my hands raised and fingers crossed, if she had any pork chops left. She smiled and said “yes” – score! Unfortunately, I wasn’t as lucky with the hotdogs. Next time I’ll remember to email her during the week to set some back for me. I left GG Farms booth proudly toting my bag o’ pork and made my way over to New Town Farms booth. There was a line forming and so I knew there was something good over there. I peeked over shoulders and a happiness blew up through me – heirloom tomatoes! Wow, there was such a variety it was overwhelming. Green with yellow stripes, purple, red, orange, yellow. I think I may have bounced up and down (Tigger style). I was moved by the tomato spirit, chanting stuff like “tomatoes hallelujah!” and “heirlooms, Amen!” I’m not big on organized religion, but The Church of Tomato – I believe, y’all.
I picked up some tomatoes and new potatoes, got some flank steak and ribeyes at Baucom’s Best Beef and headed on my merry way. At home, I marinated that flank steak and we grilled it and served it with sauteed new potatoes with rosemary and a fresh tomato salad w/ balsamic vinaigrette and crumbled Stilton. This has alwys been my favorite way to highlight tomatoes. Nothing fancy, just sliced tomatoes, s&p and a little dressing and a sprinkle of cheese. The cheese isn’t even necessary but it was in the fridge, so why not?
The next day I had some of the tomatoes left over and I was beginning to panic because I wanted to eat them but I was stumped for ideas and was afraid that they’d go bad. I had a cup of ricotta cheese in the fridge that I wanted to use up… leftover from a ricotta pie I had made last week for dessert. I logged onto my Chowhound account and started a thread asking for suggestions. My Chowhound friends did not disaapoint me. They gave me a bountiful of options and after much consideration I decided to go with ricotta-stuffed roasted tomatoes.
This roasted tomato recipe was ridiculously easy to whip up and the resulting dish was creamy, herby, tomato goodness. Here is a link to The Pioneer Woman’s blog and the recipe. The step-by-step photos they posted are great too. You must make these tomatoes soon. Here is an “after” shot of my tomatoes.
Ricotta Stuffed Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
Jessica,
I’m not sure which I enjoy more, your recipes or your writing.
You are amazing and I am going to make your Ricotta stuffed tomatoes once I find good heirlooms. Keep up the great work!
Oh, don’t forget, if we see you in October I expect a grand feast.
Love, AJ
Thanks AJ! I do owe you a “grand feast”, don’t I? Love ya back!
Oh mama – licious one,
These maters sound amazing. Tomorrow its off to the farmers market to stock up on some heirlooms and then it is time to chow down. Thanks for sharing!
I’m salivating, drooling in my keyboard!! I have tomato vines hanging to the ground just waiting for a recipe like this. Tomatoes – that’s whats for dinner! And guess what Jessica – I live just a few miles from GG Farms. We went out to the farm last February for the Shiitake Mushroom workshop. It was great fun and a beautiful place. They fed us some of that to die for BBQ (more drooling) that Natalie sure knows how to raise a pig
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Love your blog!!
and where is the recipe for those cinnamin rolls on the top of the page that tease me every time I check out your blog?