Finally the summer heat has yielded a delicious crop of tomatoes – plump heirloom, sweet cherry, meaty San Marzano. I wait patiently all season for the tomatoes to arrive and once they do, I simply cannot get enough.  They are sliced, roasted, sautéed on any dish possible.  In the dead of winter, it is THIS flavor of summer I miss the most.   

I was recently at my little place in Montalcino where an impromptu dinner with new friends led to my returning home with a huge basket of gorgeous tomatoes. The owner disappeared just after dinner and a few minutes later returned, beaming with pride, with a huge basket of fresh picked tomatoes in his arms.  The first bite of those tomatoes, sliced and dressed with just a sprinkle of coarse salt, was like a kiss from the summer sun.