Recipe: Sauteed Heirloom Tomatoes on Garlic-Rubbed Toast (serves 2)

SAUTEED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES ON GARLIC-RUBBED TOAST

"Here's a tasty little supper for listless eaters on a hot night. For tomatoes I pick what's in my garden, which is likely to be a mixture of ripe red Sweet 100s, orange Sun Golds, Green Zebras, and a yellow heirloom or two. These briefly cooked tomatoes, caught just at the moment between fresh and stewed, make an excellent addition to countless summer dishes. This recipe is vegan.

You might flesh out this meal by starting with a chilled soup. It could be a yogurt soup with rice and spinach or a tomato soup (stay with tomatoes if they're good). Add a simple salad and a few nibbles, such as roasted almonds, and end with a glorious fig tart. Chianti Classico and other simple northern Italian reds like Dolcetto from the Piedmont or Valpolicella from Verona are classic with tomatoes. If you prefer a white, try a New World Sauvignon Blanc, especially if you add the capers.

Have your tomatoes marinating an hour ahead of time, or just before, if that's what works best. Make the toast, heat the tomatoes, put them together, and you're done."

2 heaping cups sliced, quartered, or diced tomatoes, assorted kinds and colors
1 shallot, finely diced
1 large garlic clove, 1/2 minced
3 basil leaves, slivered
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large pieces ciabatta, semolina, or other rustic bread
a few drops of balsamic vinegar

1. Toss the tomatoes with the shallot, minced garlic, basil, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Set aside until you're ready to eat.

2. Grill or toast the bread. Rub it with the other 1/2 clove of garlic.

3. Heat a medium skillet. When hot, add the tomatoes. Swirl the pan around to warm them through, add a few drops balsamic vinegar and some pepper, then spoon onto the toast and serve. They should just warm up and release their juices, not fall apart.

- Spread ricotta thickly over the toast, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil, and warm it in a toaster oven before adding the tomatoes.

- Sear thin slices of tofu (page 95), deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar, then put on toast and cover with the tomatoes.

- Spoon the tomatoes over ravioli.

Serves 2
Excerpted from Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen by Deborah Madison
Copyright 2005 by Deborah Madison. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.