Tiny tomatoes, big flavor

While we wait for big heirlooms to peak, dive into a trio of cherry tomato recipes.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 22, 2024 Illustration by Kasia Pilat Tiny tomatoes, big flavor By Melissa Clark We're in the first stage of tomato season here in the Northeast, that part of summer when the rubicund beauties piled at the farmers' market consistently tempt and deceive me. July tomatoes are pretty, but they're just the vacant, mealy look-alikes of their flavorful, nectar-dripping August siblings. I must resist their siren song a bit longer before BLT season can truly begin. In the meantime, the adorable cherry and grape tomatoes out now are the real deal, ripe and ready for snacking, salad tossing and sautéing. Our own Tanya Sichynsky has written you a meal plan starring summer cherry tomatoes, which you can find in The Veggie, her superb newsletter (subscribe here!). All three recipes are by Ali Slagle, so they are disappointment-proof. I especially love the look of her curry tomatoes and chickpeas with cucumber yogurt; it's like a combination of chana masala and raita all on one platter. It's a brilliant study in contrasts — warm, spicy chickpeas and tomatoes on a bed of cool and creamy cucumbers. Serve it with rice or flatbread for an under-30-minute hot-weather meal. Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Featured Recipe Curry Tomatoes and Chickpeas With Cucumber Yogurt View Recipe → Staying speedy but going vegan now, we have Kay Chun's coconut-caramel braised tofu. Kay simmers a fragrant sauce of coconut milk, miso and ginger, letting it thicken and reduce until it becomes a rich and glossy caramel in which to cook the tofu. Then she adds lightly charred green beans for a smoky note, and lime juice for a balancing hit of acid. It really earns its five-star rating. Another five-star weeknight delight is Alexa Weibel's one-pot zucchini-basil pasta. Lex is a master of devising a simple move that gives a recipe a brilliant twist. Here, she cooks the pasta and zucchini together in broth spiked with garlic and mascarpone, and then finishes the dish with a colorful, herby gremolata made from salted toasted almonds, parsley and basil. The finished dish is creamy and summery, and the toasted almond crunch is an unexpected delight. On steamy summer nights it's always good to have a no-cook recipe in your back pocket, and Zainab Shah's smashed cucumber and chicken salad is your Sichuan-inspired ace in the hole. Made by mixing shredded rotisserie chicken with pieces of salted cucumber and a tangy-sweet dressing, it is even better after a few hours (or even a few days) in the fridge, as the cucumbers absorb all the spicy flavors. Also spicy, Vallery Lomas's shrimp étouffée is a lovely and slightly pared-down take on the Creole and Cajun classic. Vallery substitutes shrimp for the usual crawfish tails and then creates the flavorful sauce from a shortcut roux, made by sprinkling flour on the mix of sautéed bell pepper, onion and celery already in the pan. It's a smart move that saves on time without sacrificing a bit of étouffée's characteristic complex character. For dessert, my tender-crumbed blueberry pecan crunch cake is good any time of year, but it's best right now, when summer berries are plentiful and practically begging you to take them home. You can feel good about succumbing; July berries will never let you down. And as always, you'll want to subscribe to get all these smart recipes along with so many more. If you need any technical help, the brilliant people at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there for you. And I'm at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. That's all for now, see you on Wednesday. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi. Coconut-Caramel Braised Tofu By Kay Chun 20 minutes Makes 4 servings Jenny Huang for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. One-Pot Zucchini-Basil Pasta By Alexa Weibel 20 minutes Makes 4 servings Alex Lau for The New York Times Smashed Cucumber and Chicken Salad By Zainab Shah 40 minutes Makes 2 to 4 servings Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd. Shrimp Étouffée By Vallery Lomas 30 minutes Makes 4 servings Ryan Liebe for The New York Times Blueberry Pecan Crunch Cake By Melissa Clark 1 1/4 hours Makes 8 servings Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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