Tomatoes Three Ways! Ciabatta Crostini with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and White Bean Pesto, Stuffed Tomatoes, and Heirloom Tomato Salad with Tomato Jam and Garlic Croutons

Jersey tomatoes are simply the best. While we tend to get lots of flak (insert turnpike joke here) the truth is that NJ is the garden state for a reason. We may have fewer farms than we used to, but there are still small produce farms all over and at this time of year, an incredible abundance of produce. While there are tons of goodies around, NJ in particular reigns supreme in tomatoes, corn, blueberries, and cranberries. And right now is tomato season.

With our local CSA and farmers market overflowing with heirloom tomatoes, sweet cherry tomatoes, and delicious cutting tomatoes, I couldn't resist purchasing by the handful. Eager to make the best possible use of the bounty, I decided to channel Top Chef and present farm-fresh tomato three ways. While you can make simply one of these, I urge you to go for all three... there are ingredients in common that are utilized across recipes (e.g. middle of stuffed tomatoes made to make the tomato jam) and by featuring all three, you'll have a robust dinner without any need to do anything more than love tomatoes. So jump on in and enjoy!

Pro-tip: Making all three? Start by prepping your ciabatta to get croutons roasted (for stuffed tomatoes, heirloom tomato salad) and roasting your cherry tomatoes (crostini), move on to prepping your stuffed tomatoes and making the jam, turn back to stuffing your tomatoes and baking them, and finish up the crostini and heirloom salad as the stuffed tomatoes bake!

Time: 1 hr

Ciabatta Crostini with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and White Bean Pesto

Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

3 c cherry tomatoes, halved

6 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1.5 tsp salt

1/2 ciabatta loaf (you'll use the other half in the other two recipes!)

1/4 c diced red onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp pine nuts (or sub another nut if you don't have pine nuts on hand)

1 can cannellini beans, well drained, rinsed, shaken dry

2 c fresh basil leaves (with stems... if de-stemmed it will be less)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp water

Get your oven pre-heating to 400.

Toss the halved cherry tomatoes in a bowl with two tablespoons olive oil, black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Spread on a cookie sheet (I put down parchment paper first) and roast for about 30 minutes. While those are roasting, you can turn to the rest.

Cut your ciabatta into crostini-sized pieces (e.g. 1.5" wide or so) and place on cookie sheet. Bake for about five minutes or until toasted to your favored level.

Put the red onion, garlic, pine nuts, and cannellini beans in a food processor. Process until fully chopped. This will be quite thick so you may need to pause and scrape down the edges. Add the remaining 1 tsp salt, 4 tbsp olive oil, basil, lemon juice, and water. Puree until fully mixed. It should be a thick yogurt texture so spreadable but holds together well. Add more water if needed.

Spread the white bean pesto evenly across the ciabatta. If you don't need all of it (I didn't) save it for sandwiches the next day! Top with the roasted cherry tomatoes. Enjoy!

Stuffed Tomatoes

Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

1/4 ciabatta loaf (you'll use the rest between the other two recipes)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

4 large round heirloom tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes

8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Get your oven pre-heating to 400.

Cube your ciabatta into 1/2" or so cubes. If you are making the heirloom tomato salad below, cube for that, too, and do this step all at once. Toss the ciabatta with a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and the black pepper. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, flipping/mixing halfway through or until crisp but not burned. When the croutons are done, immediately put them in a bowl and toss with the minced garlic. (Note: amounts above are for this recipe but you do the same thing for below salad so double and do once if making both as I did.)

Slice off the tops of the tomatoes and carefully cut around the core, saving all the edible pieces in a bowl. Carefully use a knife and spoon to scoop out the inside of the tomatoes, leaving a 1/4" or so shell. Place the insides in the same bowl with the edible pieces of the tops. You'll use this for the jam, below.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp salt evenly in the bottom of the bottom of the four tomatoes and then place them upside down on a paper towel to drain. Leave them draining for about 10 minutes or longer if you are working on other recipes!

When you're ready to assemble, flip the tomatoes and place them in a greased baking dish. Spread about a third of the fresh mozzarella evenly across the four tomatoes. Place about half of the above croutons (1/4 of total if doubled for below recipe) evenly across all four. Spread another third of the mozzarella, remaining croutons, and then remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle the parm evenly across the tops.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the balsamic evenly across the tops. Enjoy warm!

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Tomato Jam and Garlic Croutons

Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

tomato filling from stuffed tomatoes (see above)

1/4 ciabatta loaf (will use rest in other two recipes)

1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large heirloom tomato

1 oz fresh mozzarella, diced

Get your oven pre-heating to 400.

Put 1 tsp olive oil in a small pot and heat over medium. When the oil is heated, add the tomato filling. Bring to a light boil/full simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning, or until it becomes a thick jammy texture. It will start quite water-y so this time might vary depending on the quantity, liquid level, and stove. Just keep an eye, stir often enough to prevent burning, and keep an eye on it. Ultimately, you want a thicker texture that coats the back of the spoon. Whenever done, set aside.

Cube your ciabatta into 1/2" or so cubes. If you are making the stuffed tomatoes above, cube for that, too, and do this step all at once. Toss the ciabatta with a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and the black pepper. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, flipping/mixing halfway through or until crisp but not burned. When the croutons are done, immediately put them in a bowl and toss with the minced garlic. (Note: amounts above are for this recipe but you do the same thing for above stuffed tomatoes so double and do once if making both as I did.)

Slice the heirloom tomato. Lay the slices evenly across a plate. Spread the warm tomato jam evenly across the top. Sprinkle the garlic croutons over the top. Sprinkle the fresh mozzarella on top. If you want, you can top with additional seasoning to taste or fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!