The year we decided to grow over 15,000 tomato plants we were inundated with a lot of seconds. Especially with the heirloom varieties, their size and shape are not always what the customer is accustomed to seeing in industrial tomatoes. However, flavor always trumps appearance in our kitchen, so we tried to find lots of uses for the misshapen but perfectly ripened ones. This is one of our favorite recipes, combining our ripe tomatoes with our spicy Wild Arugula.
Serves 8 people
5 tomatoes, preferably multi-colored heirloom varieties, roughly chopped
2 bell peppers red and yellow, cored and roughly chopped
1 cucumber, peeled with some green skin remaining, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper
1 cup arugula leaves
¼ cup cilantro leaves
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig mint leaves
¾ cup olive oil, extra virgin
½ cup sherry vinegar
¾ cup club soda or seltzer
salt and pepper
Put all cleaned and chopped ingredients into a food processor and run for about a minute until blended. Can be chilled but we prefer it closer to room temperature for more robust flavor. Garnish with Wild Arugula leaves or herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.