What is your favorite way to cook, or eat tomatoes? I currently have an abundance of fresh home-grown tomatoes coming from my garden each day. I collected 2 kg yesterday and have more to collect today. It is wonderful, having so many to eat. It means that  I can eat them any which way I choose!

My absolute favorite way is to enjoy them freshly picked and sliced on crusty bread and seasoned with salt and pepper.

My second favorite way is to bake them and drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper once they are cooked. Baking tomatoes really draws out the sweet flavor and it makes for a different textural experience also.

This is an easy salad recipe I whipped up for dinner, fresh from the garden and drizzled with a dressing made of freshly picked herbs.

The addition of the mushrooms provides a vitamin boost as well as some density to the salad. We really enjoyed the crispness of the fennel and the slightly bitey (is that a word?) flavor that the fennel adds, plus it makes the salad a little different, and different is good 🙂

Serves: 2 adults

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes (if baking tomatoes)

Ingredients:

• 150 grams fresh mushrooms – sliced
• 250 grams fresh salad leaves
• 250 grams tomatoes – fresh or baked
• 1 small fennel bulb finely chopped
• 1 cup of (combined) fresh parsley and coriander leaves
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper

Steps:

1. Add the mushrooms, salad leaves, tomatoes and fennel to a plate
2. In a food processor combine the herbs, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and mix to combine well
3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve with freshly ground pepper

What is your favorite way to eat tomatoes? Are your tomato plants still producing?