Though tomatoes can often appear to be interchangeable for many recipes, the key to perfecting your homemade dish is to choose the right tomato variety to enhance the texture and taste of your meal. Below you’ll find some common dishes and the best tomatoes to accompany them!
For… a caprese salad
When creating a delectable caprese salad, you need large tomatoes with a big flavor that acts as a stable foundation for the rest of the ingredients. You can get the best results from using beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes are naturally grown and come in a variety of colors, making your caprese salad more aesthetically pleasing and delicious. Beefsteak tomatoes are cross-bred and tend to have less of a sweet flavor than heirloom tomatoes.
These tomatoes also work well if you’d like to turn your caprese salad into a sandwich. They fit the width of the bread perfectly and give you a juicy bite. Feel free to use balsamic vinegar or a glaze depending on your texture preferences.
For… Sunday gravy
Making the most amazing, savory pasta sauce takes time and some delicious, ripe tomatoes. Fleshy tomatoes like roma are perfect additions to your recipe. To make a hearty sauce, you’ll want tomatoes that aren’t so juicy that they break down into a thin liquid when you cook them. Tomatoes on the vine are great for sauce as well – you can even blend the vine into your sauce to add a herbaceous flair.
For… sun-drying
Sun-dried tomatoes are tasty components for salads and sandwiches while also being healthful ingredients packed with useful antioxidants. The best tomatoes for sun-drying should be naturally flavorful and somewhat sweet, like heirloom or plum tomatoes, specifically San Marzano tomatoes. You can sun dry tomatoes literally in the sun, or you can do so in a dehydrator or warm oven. From there, you can preserve them in olive oil and have a lovely stock of them to add to pasta salads, bruschetta, and more.
For… building a snack plate
The ideal snack plate has a mix of fruits, veggies, spreads, and the occasional cracker or crostini. When adding tomatoes to this plate, you should choose bite size varieties that you do not have to pre-cut. This leaves less of a mess and also requires much less prep work. Sungold tomatoes are ideal because they’re sweet and add a pop of color to your dish. Other options like cherry tomatoes don’t have the same sweetness but are still juicy and flavorful enough to complement other items on your plate, like pungent cheeses and herbs.
Visit Strega For Your Next Night Out
At Strega, we are mindful about the ingredients we include in all of our dishes. We only work with the freshest, ripest tomatoes, handmade pasta, and premium seafood, allowing us to offer you an unforgettable meal. Join us for lunch or dinner by making a reservation with us today!
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