Tomato Recipe from 4th and Swift

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It seems no matter how hard we plan at some point during the summer we have more tomatoes than we know what to do with. We have eaten many BLT sandwiches, given the neighbors more than they can use, and canned tomatoes for the winter.  You have donated scads to the local food bank.  What next?  I asked chef and owner of the restaurant 4th and Swift, Jay Swift, how he would handle this problem and he gave me a recipe that is perfect for those tomatoes!

Heirloom Tomato and Melon Gazpacho

1 pound tomatoes, cut into quarters

1 cantaloupe, skin and seeds removed

1 honeydew melon, skin and seeds removed

5 basil leaves

1 TBSP champagne vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil

Salt/pepper to taste

Honeydew Melon, Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, and Basil sauteing in Olive Oil.
Honeydew Melon, Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, and Basil sauteing in Olive Oil.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil.  Add the tomato quarters, melons, and basil.  (Note:  with a gas stove make sure you turn off the heat when you add your ingredients.  This prevents flames in the pan.)  Saute the ingredients until they start to bleed out, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and quickly store in the refrigerator.  Once everything is chilled, buzz in the food processor with vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Delicious!
Delicious!

Chef Swift is a gardener in his own right and his restaurant is known for its farm-to-table menu, using all-natural and sustainable farm products.  He was happy to share a photo of his garden with us.  He is proud of his restaurant located in the Old Fourth Ward district of Atlanta near the new Atlanta Beltline project.  And he should be! We thank him for sharing his culinary expertise with us.

Chef Jay Swift's Garden
Chef Jay Swift’s Garden

Happy Eating!

Becky Griffin
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