The rule of tomato season
Do less, better
A winter tomato needs help — roasting, seasoning, forgiveness. A peak-season heirloom needs you to get out of the way. Salt it ten minutes before serving, add your best olive oil, and stop there. Everything below follows that single rule.
1. The heirloom plate
Thick slices, flaky salt, torn basil, and oil you would happily drink. No burrata required — though no one has ever complained about burrata. Serve at room temperature; cold mutes everything you paid for at the market.
2. Blistered bruschetta
Halve cherry tomatoes, sear cut-side down in olive oil until they slump, then spoon over grilled bread rubbed with raw garlic. Finish with basil and a thread of balsamic. Fifteen minutes, zero leftovers, every time.
3. The ten-minute pan sauce
Burst tomatoes in olive oil with sliced garlic and a pinch of chili, crush lightly, and toss with pasta and pasta water. This is the sauce our Italian masterclass opens with — because it teaches heat control in one pan.
4. Tomato carpaccio
Shave beefsteaks paper-thin on a mandoline, layer with capers, shallot, and lemon oil. It eats like crudo and costs almost nothing. Chill the plate first so it stays crisp at the table.
5. Slow-roasted keepers
When the glut hits, halve, salt, and roast low — 140°C for three hours — with thyme and garlic. Freeze in oil. In January you will thank your past self with actual tears.
"Salt the tomato before you do anything else. Then taste it before you add a second ingredient — half the time, you are already done."
Want to cook dishes one and three with a chef watching your pan? Our Plant-Based Seasonal Cooking course runs them live every August.
