Tomatoes are the newest addition to Mother Earth Farm Shares and we are very excited about it. One of the best things about tomatoes is that the recipes ideas are endless! This week I will focus on a simple bruschetta recipe that can spread onto a number of bases. This can be used as an appetizer and topped onto homemade bread, spread over chicken or fish and baked in the oven, or mixed into your morning egg scramble. GET CREATIVE!
Tomatoes are a garden staple, but are they a fruit or a vegetable? This is a question that leaves many people stumped.
A botanical classification of a fruit is something formed from a flower that have seeds and assist with the plants reproductive process. Vegetables are botanically known as the roots, stems, leaves or other structural part of a plant. Therefore, according to science, tomatoes are a fruit. However, in the culinary world, tomatoes are categorized as vegetables. So, to answer the question, it depends on who you are talking to! Farmers, gardeners, and scientists all consider this versatile produce a fruit. While chefs will use it as a vegetable.
Another awesome fact about tomatoes is that they come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and even flavors. A great way to understand the tomato society is to break them down into categories. Such as; Sauce/Paste, Red slicing, Cherry/Grape, Color slicing, and Heirloom. This will help, when preparing your recipes, to know what that particular tomato is best used for. For example, is it best for sandwiches or salsa? Of course you could throw any tomato into a salsa and it would taste amazing! However, some have a texture that is better for chip dipability (did I just make up a word?).
Skip to the bottom to see this week’s recipe!
Bruschetta
Ingredients:
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 a red onion, chopped (medium sized)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
10 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Feta cheese for topping (optional)
Instructions:
Toss all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Refrigerate for 15 min or up to 2 hours. The longer that it refrigerates, the more flavor.
Serving Options:
Scoop over a toasted baguette with a sprinkle of feta.
Scoop onto chicken or fish and bake in the oven. Then sprinkle feta cheese on after baking.
Add to a heated skillet then pour in your scrambled eggs or just serve cold on top of eggs. Top with feta.
