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Having too many tomatoes is a delicious dilemma

By Kim Davaz

Tomatoes, sun-warmed and sweet: It’s summer held in your hand. This part of summer can last well into September, if the weather holds.

A neighbor has a tangle of tomato plants in her backyard, lounging in the sun. Some are large and some are small. Some look like peppers but are an unknown variety of long. narrow tomato, the plants a gift from a mutual friend. Even the tomato vines and leaves carry a strong tomato scent that clings to your hands.

In one of the essays between chapters of his little “The Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook: Classic & Exotic Recipes From Around the World,” author Brian Yarvin defines heirloom tomatoes as “the ones that taste great and look cool.” They’re also the ones with funny shapes and colors that cost an arm and a leg.

I especially like Yarvin’s ideas for preserving tomatoes, both cooked and raw, in the “Basics” chapter. His roasted and pureed tomatoes are the concentrated sweet essence of tomatoes, made even better by slow roasting until the sugars in the tomatoes caramelize. While this method is incredible with perfectly ripe tomatoes, it elevates even mediocre tomatoes.

You may need to adjust some of Yarvin’s recipes. For example, in his recipe for a Portuguese stew of pork and clams, he cooks cubed, boneless pork loin for an hour. That’s a long time to cook such lean meat. The stew cooks another 20 minutes after adding the clams. Littleneck clams normally cook and open open in a handful of minutes. So adjust the cooking times to your own taste.

Recipes use canned, frozen and fresh tomatoes in everything from aspic to cake, with quite a few sauces, soups, vegetable combinations, main dishes and a number of pizzas.

Before you can eat tomatoes, they must be grown. In “Heirloom: Notes From an Accidental Tomato Farmer” now out in paperback, Tim Stark tells his story of growing heirloom tomatoes on family land in Pennsylvania. He sells his tomatoes in New York City, and they are prized by the most demanding chefs at the most chi-chi of restaurants.

Stark’s tomatoes are not just delicious, they’re photogenic: They have appeared on a cover of Gourmet magazine.

“Heirloom” doesn’t have recipes, but it takes a thoughtful look at the land and what grows on it as well as what it takes to grow and deliver produce to market.

Tomato and Mozzarella Casserole is from the “Vegetables” chapter of “The Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook.” This would be very pretty with a mixture of yellow and red tomatoes, if you have them.

Save about 2 tablespoons of the cheese and a generous tablespoon of the bread crumbs to sprinkle over the top after the caserole has cooked for 45 minutes.

Yarvin says to return the casserole to the oven for another 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it; 10 to 15 minutes may be enough for the topping to begin to brown.

Cheeses other than mozzarella would work in this dish, maybe goat cheese or crumbled feta. Other herbs would also work, especially thyme or basil.

Tomato and Mozzarella Casserole

• Makes 6 servings.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup unseasoned, dry bread crumbs
• 5 cups tomato slices
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the inside of a baking dish with the oil. Coat the bottom with about one-quarter (2 tablespoons) of the bread crumbs and a layer of the tomato slices.

Sprinkle each layer with a bit of the oregano, some more bread crumbs, some of the salt, pepper and some shredded cheese, reserving a bit of the bread crumbs and cheese for garnish.

When the layering is complete, bake for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to brown. Remove from the oven.

Sprinkle the casserole with the chopped parsley and the remaining cheese and bread crumbs in an even layer over the tomatoes.

Return to the oven for 30 minutes.

When done, let the casserole cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Kim Davaz writes a biweekly cookbook review column for The Register-Guard.

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