Attack of the homegrown tomatoes

Well, it's that time of year again. Whether you planted them or your dear friends and family did, there's bound to be an abundance of homegrown, red-fleshed yumminess in a garden near you. While we are thankful recipients of these prized beauties, there does come a point when the question of  "what the heck are we going to do with all these tomatoes?" does pop into our heads.

My good friend Barb snapped a picture of her beautiful vine-ripening tomato.

One way we like to enjoy them here at our house is paired with a cheese other than usual, boring buffalo mozzarella.  Several years ago while scanning the cheese display at our local fruit market I first caught sight of this lesser known, but infinitely more delicious cheese called, ricotta salata.  It's a bit like feta in texture and taste though not quite as salty. I slice up some big fat, juicy tomatoes, top each slice with a thin cut of ricotta salata and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or a light vinaigrette. I do occasionally add the obligatory leaf of basil, but it's not necessary. The tomato, cheese and oil (or vinaigrette) make a nice little trio of taste and texture all by themselves. Try this combination sometime and thank me later!