Chuck is my brother-in-law, and although we have a lot of fun discussing recipes and how “Artichoke Hart” would cook things, I am obviously not the only chef in the family. This summer appetizer, served on one of the last hot days of summer, was so excrutiatingly tasty, I had to bow down to his talents and ask for the recipe. Simple but out of simplicity comes true deliciousness! The skinning of ripe tomatoes is hard on the back but other than that, it’s worth the effort.

INGREDIENTS

5-6 medium, ripe red tomatoes
1/4 cup avocado oil
1/2 tspn garlic and onion powder,
1/2 tspn salt

METHOD

1. Core the tomatoes but leave the core in. (I’m not sure what Chuck uses but I used the steel end of the turkey baster which was sharp enough to penetrate the tomato completely.) Leave the core in for now (keeps the tomato firm while fileting)
2. With a filet knife, score the edges of the tomato and begin to peel off the skin. This is the tricky part. Don’t get too upset if you slice off some meat, but try to stick just to the skin.
3. Take the core out and cut into 1/4 or 1/3″ wedges and place in a bowl. Add avocado oil, garlic, onion, and salt. Stir carefully.  (I cheated and added a dash of basil since it’s growing fresh right now)
4. Cover and place in the fridge for an hour or so. Remove about 15 min before serving it’s not too cold to enjoy the ripe taste.
5. Serve with crusty bread. I use the small ends of a calabrese loaf, or a small Parisian stick.

This and other recipes occasionally pop up in the Artichoke Hart series (available here), or the London Cartwright series (available here). Both chefs are fictional… the dishes are not.