Simply Tomato

Starred review from April 3, 2023
James Beard Award winner Holmberg (Modern Sauces) informs and delights in this paean to the tomato, offering up more than 100 recipes ranging from variations on classics like caprese salad and tomato soup to more advanced dishes, including “time-consuming-but-worth-it” ratatouille. In a conversational voice, Holmberg invites home cooks to explore: “Making the dish so that you will like it, not me, is the goal.” A comprehensive overview covers terminology, how to choose the best fresh and canned tomatoes at the grocery store, and the low-down on refrigeration and freezing. Holmberg makes a convincing case for putting in the effort to make tomato water, jams, and syrups to liven up risotto, grilled fish, and casseroles. The recipes run the gamut from drinks (the “G&T&T”—or gin, tonic, and tomato—is a standout) to salads (including a summery tomato and peach salad with lime-ginger dressing) to main dishes in which tomatoes serve as either focal point (“Provençale Tomatoes”) or accent (chicken schnitzel with tomato and fennel). Pasta sauces include a no-cook affair with feta, mint, and parsley as well as a “slightly excessive” meat sauce. Tarts and pastries round things out. The result is an indispensable resource for tomato lovers. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary.

Starred review from June 1, 2023
Consider this the tomato Bible. Longtime food guru Holmberg, coauthor of the popular and award-winning Six Seasons (2017) and Grains for Every Season (2021), chops up tomato myths into digestible pieces, along the way educating readers on every part of the fruit. Can they be refrigerated? For three days max. Which varieties are okay to buy in a supermarket? Campari, kumatos, and a handful of others. Best brand of canned? San Marzano. The advice goes on and on. With eye-catching sidebars (e.g., best sauce to pasta ratios) and many ideas for variations, the 100 dishes will also turn tomato cooking/eating habits upside down. Fried green tomatoes are accompanied by three different mayonnaises, including triple lemon. Traditional gin and tonic becomes gin and tomato, thanks to tomato syrup. Tomato soup takes on three different personas: blended and smoky, chopped and fresh, or clear and intensely tomato. One particularly tempting recipe title: "My time-consumingbut-worth-it ratatouille." Holmberg doesn't promise her recipes are easy or quick to whip up; she includes pastries but omits desserts (cherry tomato clafoutis, anyone?). For tomato lovers, this is destined to be an all-season favorite.

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June 10, 2024

Gardeners who find themselves overwhelmed with fresh tomatoes each summer will appreciate this cookbook from food writer and chef Holmberg (Grains for Every Season). Holmberg starts with details that display her expertise and background as a chef: the organization of the book, non-tomato ingredients, and some general thoughts on cooking, tasting, serving size, and tomato preparation. After an overview of different-colored tomatoes that one might grow or buy (red, green, pink), a summary of tomato terminology (grape, pear, on-the-vine), and a few words advocating for the humble yet essential canned tomato, the book gets to the recipes at the heart of this title. Taking readers from snacks (fresh tomato salsa that clings to the chip) and drinks (tomato shrub), to salads, soups, and, of course, pastas (tomato-leaf and basil pesto), this book will help make the most of a summer garden. Main and side dishes (paella-style tomato-saffron rice) are covered as well, as are tomato tarts and pastries. VERDICT This cookbook is simply lovely, with tomato-centered recipes to inspire and delight through summer and beyond.--Whitney Bates-Gomez

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