This is what’s called “cooking with what you have on hand”. Or “what’s in your garden”. I guess a little bit of both. Tomatoes are growing like mad in my garden right now, which may not sound like a big deal to you, but to me it’s nothing short of miraculous.

I tried growing tomatoes two summers ago; it was my first attempt at a “real” tomato garden. But each and every one of them rotted on the vine before they fully ripened. I was so discouraged that last year I joined a CSA and we ate their tomatoes instead. But this year I decided to give it another go.

Aside from the hornworm issues that plagued my tomatoes this season – that has since been rectified – I have officially found tomato success! And now I have all the yummy tomatoes that I my family can eat.

Which is a whole new type of tomato problem (not that I’m complaining, mind you): what to do with them all? I’ve made every type of tomato salad that I could think of, so for lunch today I wanted to try something new and different. Still a tomato salad of sorts, but with a crunchy topping and a balsamic onion twist.

I really loved this recipe for its simplicity and how easy it was to make. I’m a sucker for fresh, crunchy toppings so it was pretty much a no-brainer. You can add just about any kind of seasonings to this, so play around with the idea and enjoy!

xoxo,

ps. I can’t find my fancy Canon camera! Seriously…I’ve looked everywhere in our house and it’s just not here anymore. Not that my photos are all that to speak of anyway, but an iPhone is definitely not the camera of choice when shooting food. Not too bad for an iPhone, though, eh? ;-)

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Quick Tomato Gratin

• 2 summer tomatoes, sliced, preferably one yellow and one red
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 english muffin
• 1 cup cilantro (or maybe basil? yum)
• 1 large serrano pepper
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat skillet on medium heat and add about a tablespoon of evoo. When heated, add onion slices to pan and cook, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes. Flip onions, being careful to leave them intact. Pour about 1/2 T of balsamic vinegar over each onion, and let cook, undisturbed, for a few more minutes until onions are slightly soft and balsamic is syrupy.

Meanwhile, place english muffin into food processor in large chunks. Add cilantro and coarsely chopped serrano pepper and process until large breadcrumbs are formed.

On baking sheet or broiler-safe plate, arrange tomatoes and onions into a tight circle. Top with bread crumb mixture – be generous – and drizzle with evoo. Broil until bread crumbs are toasted and golden brown. Serve as a side dish or a salad with some crusty bread. Or top with freshly grated mozzarella and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper! The combinations are endless :-)