Tomato Season

We wait for it all year long, and now, finally, it is here. Tomato season!

I can have tomatoes three meals a day now if I want. And snacks! It's wonderful.

Tomato cheese toast for simplicity, or caprese salad - so simple, yet so satisfying. Or you could go a little fancier, and make a Margherita pizza, which is what we did for dinner tonight. I feel so blessed. I feel extravagant and wealthy - I have eight enormous pink brandywine tomatoes ripening on my table. (They're from my mom's house - I don't have any luck growing brandywines in my yard. I don't have enough sun.)

If you haven't had it before, caprese salad is one of summer's treats. It's best eaten when your tomatoes have gotten really ripe and sweet. Then, simply arrange slices of fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes (any kind) on a plate. Garnish with as much fresh sweet basil as you like, and other greens if you like. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. If you like a little tang for contrast, drizzle with a balsamic reduction, or aged balsamic vinegar. I've eaten many different versions of the caprese salad, and enjoyed them all.

Happy tomato season!