cover image Tomato: A Fresh-From-The-Vine Cookbook

Tomato: A Fresh-From-The-Vine Cookbook

Lawrence Davis-Hollander. Storey Publishing, $16.95 (278pp) ISBN 978-1-60342-478-3

Expanding on territory covered in his 2004 The Tomato Festival Cookbook, author Davis-Hollander gives readers another 150 applications for one of America's most popular produce (referred to most often, in this volume, as a vegetable). Unlike in his previous work, cooks aren't restricted to heirloom varieties, but (with a few exceptions) can use whatever they have on hand to craft toothsome dishes like Scallops with Asian Noodle Salad and Tomato Ginger Jam, the Spanish salsa Pipirrana, or the traditional Native American dish Lamb-Stuffed Green Chiles with Fresh Tomato Puree. Also included are standards like the humble BLT, Bloody Mary, pizza, and Huevos Rancheros. Avoiding a tendency toward novelty uses fro the versatile veggie, Davis stays on track with submissions from renowned chefs like Gary Danko (Roast Lobster with Tomato, Corn, and Fines Herbes) and Rick Bayless (Essential Quick-Cooked Tomato-Chipotle Sauce), as well as older ideas such as Tomatoes à la Indienne, a velvety curry-like dish based on a 1909 recipe. Liberally peppered with lore, this will be an oft-consulted resource for tomato lovers come summer. Color photos and illus.