What do you know about our Good Ole’ Tomato? That we love it, we know for sure!
Tomatoes originated in Central and South America, where the Aztecs were growing and eating them as early as 700 AD. It was only in 1493 that the Spanish conquistador Hernàn Cortès took the seeds back to Europe, understanding all the potential of this plant.
It started growing in the warm Mediterranean climate without any problem, and it soon became available on pretty much all tables.
Raw or Cooked?
Tomatoes come in many different shapes, colors, and sizes reaching an incredible number of varieties that are close to 7000!
You can eat tomatoes both raw and cooked. Let’s see how!
TOMATO SALAD
The queen of all summer salads! Refreshing and super tasty, it can be seasoned with just a sprinkle of fresh herbs like basil and chives, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, or with other vegetables, such as onions and cucumbers, and maybe some olives and mozzarella cheese!
For an excellent experience, try our Caprese Salad: Roma tomatoes, Fior di Latte mozzarella, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt. Perfect simplicity for your taste buds!
TOMATO SOUP
Each variety of tomatoes will give the soup its unique flavors. You can do it with either fresh or oven-baked ones, for a distinctive taste. Basil, onions, and oregano are always a must.
It is perfect for cloudy and rainy days.
TOMATO SAUCE
Tomato sauce is an essential ingredient in every kitchen around the world, but it obviously is a must in the Italian ones.
Pizza, pasta, parmigiana, and hundreds of other typical dishes would not be the same without a tasty tomato sauce.
The real tomato sauce has only a few simple ingredients: garlic, onions, ripe tomatoes, and basil: slowly cooked, and then stored in glass jars until next summer!
SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
As the word suggests, sun-dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have been dried in the sun so they can be stocked during wintertime, or until next summer. They are a fantastic addition to any recipe that needs a bit of spicing up, whether soups or salads.
If they are stored in olive oil, they can also be an excellent appetizer on their own, with some cheese, or with some fresh bread.
As an alternative to the warm rays of sunshine, this tasty topping can be prepared baked in the oven. Find all your favorite combinations!
STUFFED TOMATOES
Stuffed tomatoes are another must during summertime. They are usually filled with rice and maybe other small veggies, like chopped carrots and peas. You can eat them either right out of the oven, or you can enjoy them cold on the following day when the rice has soaked up the bursting flavor of the tomatoes even more
BRUSCHETTA
Bruschetta is simply a slice of crusty bread that’s toasted, rubbed with garlic cloves, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and then finally topped with fresh chopped tomatoes and basil.
Tomatoes are delicious and nutritious!
They are packed with antioxidants (lycopene and beta-carotene), and vitamins (Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate and potassium) and as we have just seen, they are also very versatile in the kitchen.
Your imagination is the only limit!
So why don’t you start preparing your next dish using this delicious vegetable?
You can try some of the above recipes at home or stop by one of our Restaurant locations and get spoiled with some of our tomato-based dishes!