'TIS THE SEASON THE TIME IS RIPE FOR CALIFORNIA HEIRLOOMS.

Byline: Natalie Haughton

Food Editor

Plump and juicy tomatoes in a rainbow of colors and varieties are coming into their own at farmers markets, in gardens and on restaurant menus. They are the very essence of summer.

With the tomato scare of a few months ago behind us (the USDA eventually found tomatoes were not the culprit in the salmonella outbreak), it's prime time to indulge.

Tomato sales are off about 10 to 20 percent in California, says Marilyn Dolan, spokeswoman for the California Tomato Farmers, representing eight California growers producing more than three-quarters of the state's fresh tomatoes. Currently, the California harvest is in full swing.

Although some consumers were afraid to buy tomatoes a couple of months ago, and some still are, she points out, "At the time the big chains were pulling tomatoes off the retail/consumer market, California tomatoes were just starting to harvest (end of May)." Harvesting starts in Indio and continues moving north as far as Sacramento through November, she adds.

California produces 30 percent of the U.S. fresh tomato crop, behind Florida's 40 percent. Heirloom varieties account for only about 1 percent of California's retail sales.

With the abundance of heirlooms during the short season upon us, chefs are getting creative with the fabulous gems.

"I like to use tomatoes when they are at the height of the season," says Octavio Becerra, chef/owner of Palate Food + Wine, Glendale. "I use organic heirlooms almost exclusively. I like to manipulate the tomatoes as little as possible."

That means he simply cuts them into different shapes, depending on the tomato, seasons them with extra virgin olive oil, fleur de sel, some wild herbs (wild arugula, marjoram, opal basil), acid (some sort of lemon or vinegar, such as banyuls) and then shaves some nice mild cheese such as sheep's milk or tomme brulee (from France) over the top.

Another selection features crab- and corn-filled cannelloni presented atop a warm cherry tomato-Sweet 100 mixture with unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, tomato water and an herb like opal basil or purslane.

He also pickles small firm cherry tomatoes, green tomatillos and zebra tomatoes, each separately, for three or four days in the fridge before serving with a little of the pickling liquid. Another option -- deep-fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with olive tapenade and ricotta and served on a bed of warm stewed fresh tomatoes.

At Spago, Beverly Hills, you'll find heirloom tomatoes in a variety of creations. A composed salad is offered as a first course on the dinner menu, notes Thomas Boyce, chef de cuisine.

"We get as much variety and color on the plate as possible. We cut the heirlooms (which vary in acidity and texture) into different sizes and shapes -- slices, wedges and halves (cherry tomatoes)."

The tomatoes are marinated in a fruity-tasting provencal olive oil, then dotted with a tiny bit of 50-year-old balsamic vinegar and served with basil pesto aioli and a mix of herbs underneath -- mint, marjoram, parsley leaves and microbasil, avocado slices on the side and diced sweet onions on top. The dish is finished with a slice of pave d'affinois (French) -- similar to a double creme brie.

At lunch, heirlooms are plated in a simpler fashion with similar ingredients -- basil aioli, basil olive oil, provencal olive oil, 50-year-old balsamic and a rotation of cheese slices, among them Maytag blue and Harley Farms goat ricotta, says Boyce.

"Occasionally, we serve tomatoes with burrata cheese for lunch, and we do gazpacho (using really ripe heirlooms) as a special."

For dinner, a warm tomato vinaigrette -- made by heating peeled cherry tomatoes in tomato water with a little tomato puree, basil leaf and garlic clove -- is presented over fish -- wild salmon or loup de mer. The restaurant also serves pasta (garganelli) with a confit of cherry tomatoes, wild chanterelles and Pecorino Romano on top.

Boyce, who has a home garden, also likes to whip up tomato dishes at home, but "everything is much simpler -- and pretty rustic. I dice tomatoes, blanch fresh green beans, make a dressing with yogurt, cucumbers and mint, and toss everything together."

Another quick dish features cooked pasta tossed with a heated pancetta, tomato and basil sauce and a little Parmigiano-Reggiano or bread crumbs.

"We use tomatoes in everything because it's tomato season," says Allyson Thurber, executive chef at The Lobster, Santa Monica. She dislikes commercially grown tomatoes, unless she knows the farmer. Her heirloom tomatoes, picked and delivered fresh daily, come from Country Fresh Herbs Inc. in Tarzana.

"We use heirloom cherry tomatoes in a classic iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing, applewood smoked bacon and fresh basil."

You'll find black cherokees and pineapple tomatoes, cut into chunks, in a salad with wild arugula, balsamic-marinated paper-thin fennel, and shallots and feta cheese. Also, heirloom slices, dressed with champagne vinaigrette, sit beneath a New York steak.

During peak season, Country Fresh Herb Inc., delivers about 2,000 pounds of heirloom tomatoes per week to Southern California restaurants, notes Kathy Feig, co-owner with her husband. They farm three acres in Tarzana and 10 acres in the Oxnard area, concentrating on 10 varieties and colors of cherry and larger heirloom tomatoes -- yellow, red, orange, green, purple, white, zebra, brandywine, cherokee and pineapple.

"We actually sold more tomatoes during the tomato scare," says Feig, "even though some restaurants removed them from menus, because chefs were looking for tomatoes grown in California that weren't red. We were growing some tomatoes -- cherokees and pineapple heirlooms that were not red -- in a greenhouse this year and harvested them in late April and May to supply customers."

Natalie Haughton, [phone]

[e-mail]

HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD WITH WILD ARUGULA AND SHAVED CHEESE

4 heirloom tomatoes (use four different types), rinsed and patted dry

24 cherry OR Sweet 100 tomatoes (OR a combination of the two), rinsed, patted dry and oven dried at 300 degrees for 1 hour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon banyuls vinegar

1 cup wild arugula

4 ounces hard sheep's milk cheese, shaved into thin strips

Cut the 4 assorted heirloom tomatoes into several different sizes and shapes and arrange on a platter. Arrange oven-dried whole cherry tomatoes on and around the heirlooms. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with wild arugula and shaved cheese. Makes 8 servings.

From Octavio Becerra, chef-owner, Palate Food + Wine, Glendale.

RICOTTA-STUFFED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS WITH WARM TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

1 cup whole-milk fresh ricotta cheese

1/4 cup olive tapenade

12 large zucchini blossoms, with stems on

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Salt to taste

40 cherry OR Sweet 100 tomatoes (OR a combination of the two), rinsed and patted dry

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon verjus OR sherry vinegar (lemon juice can be substituted)

Pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced and toasted in olive oil until golden

Fresh opal basil leaves, torn

Marjoram leaves, torn

Mix ricotta cheese with olive tapenade. Using a pastry bag (or zip-lock plastic bag with corner snipped off), stuff zucchini blossoms with cheese mixture.

In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches; heat until very hot. Deep-fry stuffed blossoms, 4 at a time, in hot oil, until crisp and golden. Remove and season with salt; reserve in a hot oven. Continue until all blossoms are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine whole cherry tomatoes, olive oil and verjus; heat until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 1/4 of warm tomato vinaigrette onto each of 4 serving plates. Top each with 3 crisp zucchini blossoms and garnish with garlic slices, basil and marjoram. Makes 4 servings.

From Octavio Becerra, chef-owner, Palate Food + Wine, Glendale.

PASTA WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATOES, PANCETTA, GARLIC AND CHILI

2 large fresh ripe heirloom tomatoes (slightly more than 1 pound total)

1/4 cup diced fatty pancetta

Good-quality extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound dried pasta (rigatoni, penne, bucatini OR garganelli)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Pinch chili flakes

12 OR more fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt

Parmigiano-Reggiano

Halve tomatoes and remove seeds. Do not peel. Chop tomatoes about the size of a penny or into 1/2-inch dice.

Place pancetta and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Place over medium-high heat and cook until pancetta browns lightly and fat is rendered, stirring occasionally. At this point, there should be about 3 to 4 tablespoons of fat in the pan. If not, add olive oil to make that amount.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente.

Meanwhile, add garlic and chili flakes to pan with pancetta. Cook about a minute or until garlic is a light golden brown. Immediately tear basil leaves in half and drop in pan. After they sizzle a bit, add tomatoes and a pinch salt. Cook tomatoes until they start to break down a bit, about 5 to 8 minutes. (I like to think of it as almost making a confit of tomato in the fat from the pancetta and olive oil.)

Drain cooked pasta and add to pan with tomatoes. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for a minute, stirring and tossing occasionally so it all cooks together evenly.

Grate some reggiano over pasta, toss once more and serve. Makes 4 small or 2 large servings.

From Thomas Boyce, chef de cuisine, Spago, Beverly Hills.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO, FENNEL AND WILD ARUGULA SALAD

2 large fennel bulbs

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon crushed dried fennel seeds

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon EACH kosher salt and pepper

8 ounces wild arugula

6 medium to large heirloom tomatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

6 ounces Greek feta cheese

On a mandolin or slicer, slice fennel bulbs paper thin and toss with shallots. Add vinegar, water, olive oil, fennel seeds, lime juice, garlic and salt and pepper. Marinate 4 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

To serve, divide arugula evenly among 6 bowls. Top with a pile of tomatoes, dividing evenly. Stir marinated fennel and top each pile of tomatoes with some of fennel mixture, letting marinade drip onto tomatoes and arugula (there will be a bit of vinaigrette left after all the fennel is gone; use to marinate your next batch or discard). Crumble cheese over top and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6 servings.

From Allyson Thurber, executive chef, The Lobster Restaurant, Santa Monica.

tomato festivals >

>Hollywood Farmers Market (at Ivar and Selma avenues) in Hollywood is hosting a peak of summer Tomato Festival, 8 a.m to 1 p.m., Sept. 7. Featured will be free samples of more than 30 heirloom tomato varieties, cooking demonstrations and information. [phone].

>Kendall-Jackson Winery 12th annual Heirloom Tomato Festival is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 6 at Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton. More than 175 varieties of heirloom tomatoes will be featured, along with samples of creations from Bay Area gourmet food purveyors and restaurants and Kendall-Jackson wines. Also garden tours, wine seminars and live entertainment. $65 per person in advance. No tickets available at door. [phone] or go to www.kj.com.

>17th annual Carmel TomatoFest will be held 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Quail Lodge Resort, Carmel. A tasting of 350 tomato varieties, tomato dishes by 60 chefs and 200 premium wines will be featured along with a showcase of 100 salsas. Also an outdoor country barbecue, live music and dancing. $95 per person. [phone] or go to www.tomatofest.com.

>N.H.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Heirloom tomatoes come in an array of colors and sizes and are plentiful this time of year.

(2 -- color) Glendale chef and restaurateur Octavio Becerra prefers organic heirlooms prepared with olive oil and herbs.

(3 -- 4) Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms With Warm Tomato Vinaigrette, above, and Heirloom Tomato Salad With Wild Arugula and Shaved Cheese, below, are creations of Palate Food + Wine chef-owner Octavio Becerra.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

tomato festivals > (see text)