RIPE AND RED-Y.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Nothing is more evocative of summer than a luscious, juicy, sweet, sun-drenched garden-grown tomato. Whether you have an abundant crop of beautiful red tomatoes in your back yard or pick up a rainbow of heirloom varieties at a local farmers market, now is the time to indulge.

Tomatoes are one of America's favorite foods. Fresh tomatoes rank among the five top items in the produce department. We consume 19 pounds per person per year - and that's not counting tomatoes processed for sauce and ketchup. Next to Italy, we devour more tomatoes per capita than anywhere else.

``Lots and lots and lots of people have memories of tomatoes. They remember tomatoes when they were a seasonal thing,'' says Deborah Madison, author of ``Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets.''

Not all tomatoes are created equal these days. No matter how good a tomato may look in a supermarket, the odds are that biting into it won't bring that explosion of juicy sweetness of a tomato picked and eaten fresh from a farm. ``You're not even getting the same creature,'' notes Ronni Lundy, author of the recently released ``In Praise of Tomatoes: Tasty Recipes, Garden Secrets, Legends & Lore'' (Lark Books; $19.95).

The problem, of course, is the essential fragility of a ripe tomato.

The tomato started to go awry in the 1940s, when seed companies started breeding hybrids that became ever more homogenized. Commercial farmers concentrated on firmer-fleshed and less-juicy hybrids that promised longer shelf life, consistent appearance and durability. They wanted uniformly round tomatoes for mechanical harvesting, ones that were disease-resistant and would stay edible longer, writes Lundy. Taste wasn't given much consideration. So hard, rubbery, scentless, tasteless tomatoes flooded supermarket bins, but consumers could get them year-round.

But real tomatoes didn't disappear; they just went underground. Starting in the 1970s, a grass-roots effort by backyard gardeners took off, with a few pioneer botanists saving and exchanging threatened varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa was one of the main players. Not surprisingly, this movement coincided with Alice Waters' fresh-food revolution in Berkeley and her restaurant, Chez Panisse.

Today, Lawrence Davis-Hollander, author of the new ``Tomato Festival Cookbook'' (Storey Publishing; $16.95), celebrates heirloom varieties and is equally passionate about the curse of the supermarket tomato:

``The typical 'vine-ripened' supermarket tomato is grown in Florida, California or possibly Mexico in the off-season,'' he notes. ``Some are grown in greenhouses; some are hydroponic; some are grown outside under not-ideal conditions - lower light, lower temperatures, even in California and Mexico. The whopper is that they pick them essentially green.

`` 'Vine-ripened' is a tomato that is breaking pink - 90 percent green and 10 percent pink, typically. Then they gas it with ethylene, which is what promotes it to ripen, not the sun. Then it's shipped from however far away. It's not local. It's not fresh. It's not vine-ripened.''

Still, there's no question that tomato producers and supermarket chains are trying to improve upon ``those gased-up tomato wannabes,'' as Lundy puts it.

``I think it's already starting to change,'' she continues, noting that Roma tomatoes, valued for cooking and sauces and for being a good tomato to buy out of season, now are a supermarket staple.

The resurgence of heirloom tomatoes is one of the clearest indicators of the desire to return to our tomato taste memories. With names such as Indian Moon, Purple Cherokee, Pink Ping Pong, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Hungarian Oval and Mortgage Lifter, heirlooms come in a variety of colors - red, green, yellow, orange, purple, striped, etc. - as well as shapes and colors.

Davis-Hollander, a Massachusetts-based ethnobotanist who founded and directs the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy, has been in the forefront of the heirloom movement.

``We've done a lot of tastings, thousands of people, and universally people go, 'Oh, wow, that's what a tomato tastes like.' Even 10-year-olds. They know it when they taste it. People's taste buds haven't changed that much in 50 years.''

Says Lundy, ``The closer to the source, the better taste you're going to have.''

BRUSCHETTA WITH CHOPPED TOMATOES, PARSLEY AND BASIL

(On the cover)

4 cloves garlic, 2 minced and 2 whole

3 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon capers, minced

1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut into thick slices

In a medium bowl, combine minced garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, parsley, basil, salt and capers. Mash ingredients together.

Place bread on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated 400-degree oven 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Rub toasts with whole garlic cloves. Cut toasts in half. Spread 1 tablespoon tomato mixture on each garlic toast. Put toasts on a decorative platter and serve. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

From ``Dinner Parties,'' by Jessica Strand.

FAST TOMATO SAUCE

The flavor of the tomatoes, basil and garlic in this quickly made sauce remains fresh and lively because the cooking time is so brief. The recipe comes from Massimo Capra, chef-owner of Mistura restaurant in Toronto. Serve it with gnocchi or other pasta or use it to top crostini.

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 pounds (about 10 to 12 large) Roma OR other plum tomatoes peeled, seeded and sliced

6 basil leaves (OR more to taste), torn

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Add garlic and let it soften without browning for a minute.

Stir tomatoes into oil and garlic. Add basil and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat and cook briskly 2 to 4 minutes, until tomatoes collapse into a chunky sauce. Serve immediately over cooked pasta or use to top crostini. Makes 4 servings.

From ``The Tomato Festival Cookbook,'' by Lawrence Davis-Hollander.

POTATO, ONION AND TOMATO GRATIN 

3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 pounds tomatoes, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Coat bottom and sides of a large oval glass or ceramic gratin dish with olive oil. Arrange a layer of 1/2 of potatoes in the dish. Top with 1/2 of onions, then 1/2 of tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese. Repeat process to use remaining ingredients.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven about 1 1/4 hours or until golden and bubbly. Serve hot with fish or meat. Makes 8 servings.

From ``Dinner Parties,'' by Jessica Strand.

SUMMER SALAD

1 1/3 cups diced (1-inch) peeled and seeded cucumber

1 1/3 cups diced (1-inch) ripe tomato

1/3 cup sliced (1-inch) green onions

3/4 cup diced (1/2-inch) sweet onion, such as Vidalia

1/2 cup spicy green pitted olives, halved if large

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves

4 large Boston lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried

Mix all ingredients except Boston lettuce in a large salad bowl. Arrange a lettuce leaf on each of 4 plates and divide salad among plates, spooning it into lettuce leaves. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way.''

PRAWNS WITH GARLIC, HEIRLOOM TOMATOES AND LEMON

From Sarah Stegner, executive chef of the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, comes this delectable combination of shrimp and tomatoes. In Europe, the word ``prawns'' refers to particular members of the shrimp family; in this country, it refers to larger sizes of shrimp - in this case, the size marketed as colossal shrimp, which run 12 to a pound.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound (about 12) prawns (colossal-sized shrimp), shelled and deveined

Salt and freshly ground white OR black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

1 cup chopped fresh skinned and seeded heirloom tomatoes

Juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon snipped chives 

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat oil and lightly sear prawns on both sides, 45 to 60 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook 2 to 4 minutes, until it just begins to brown.

Remove prawns from pan and set aside. Add tomatoes to pan and simmer until they begin to break down, 4 to 7 minutes, depending on ripeness. Add lemon juice and stir in butter, then stir in chives and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Return prawns to sauce and cook a minute longer to reheat them. Serve hot (with toasted French bread and a fresh green salad). Makes 2 to 4 servings.

From ``The Tomato Festival Cookbook,'' by Lawrence Davis-Hollander.

SAVORY CARAMELIZED ONION, TOMATO AND BASIL TART

CRUST:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal 

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

1/4 cup ice water

3 tablespoons olive oil

TOPPING:

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced crosswise

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 large very ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded and thinly sliced

10 nicoise olive, halved and pitted

1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon milk

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

To prepare Crust, in a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal, salt and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, 5 to 10 seconds but no longer. Add water and olive oil and pulse 15 to 20 times or until dough just begins to hold together. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and flatten into a round disk. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

To start Topping, in a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, soft and translucent, 25 to 30 minutes. As they cook, season with salt and pepper. After about 20 minutes or when most of the onions appear just about done, add garlic and cook along with onions. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble tart, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 15-inch round. Lift sides with a spatula as you roll and spread flour underneath to avoid sticking. Transfer dough by rolling it around a rolling pin and unrolling it on lined baking sheet.

Spread onions and garlic over dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer over top, then sprinkle olives evenly over onion-garlic mixture and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold edge of dough (2-inch border) up over filling, leaving center uncovered, pleating as you go. Brush egg yolk mixture over rim.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven 30 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature before serving. In either case, sprinkle tart with chopped basil just before serving. Makes 4 servings.

From ``Dinner Parties,'' by Jessica Strand.

Those terrific tomatoes

A few seeds of wisdom about tomatoes.

--For best flavor, store tomatoes at room temperature, not in the refrigerator.

--To peel tomatoes, submerge in a pot of boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds; remove and plunge into a bowl of ice water for about a minute to cool. Remove skins with a paring knife.

--To seed tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, place each half in the palm of your hand and squeeze out seeds and liquid. Scoop out any remaining seeds with a spoon, if desired.

--When cooking with tomatoes, figure 1 large tomato will yield about 1 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes. A plum or Roma tomato, depending on size, will yield about 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes. Three to four medium tomatoes weigh about 1 pound.

-- A medium 5-ounce tomato has about 35 calories and is a good source of potassium and vitamin A. It also provides vitamin C, phosphorus and other minerals - and is cholesterol- and sodium-free.

-- To oven-dry tomatoes, ``Tomato Imperative'' authors Sharon Nimtz and Ruth Cousineau suggest using meaty Roma or plum tomatoes: Slice each almost in half lengthwise; gently squeeze out seeds and juice. Place in the oven on racks over sheet pans or foil and turn the oven to its lowest heat (a gas pilot light probably would be warm enough). To let moisture escape, prop oven door slightly ajar. Let the tomatoes dry for about 16 hours or until they feel leathery. You may need to rotate them occasionally for even drying. Layer dried tomatoes with herbs in jars; cover with olive oil and refrigerate.

--If you are peeling a large quantity of tomatoes, you can make ``tomato dust'' with the skins, as directed in Ronni Lundy's ''In Praise of Tomatoes.'' Place skins on a nonstick baking sheet in a 200-degree oven about 2 hours or until completely dry. Cool, then pulverize in a spice grinder or mortar; use in olive oil or salad dressing, or sprinkle over vegetables.

-- When tomatoes are out of season (and lacking flavor), canned tomatoes are usually the best choice for cooking. Lundy recommends Muir Glen organic fire-roasted tomatoes.

- Staff and Wire Services

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) BRUSCHETTA WITH CHOPPED TOMATOES, PARSLEY AND BASIL

Photo by Victoria Pearson, from ``Dinner Parties,'' Chronicle Books

(2 -- color) POTATO, ONION AND TOMATO GRATIN

(3 -- color) SAVORY CARMELIZED ONION, TOMATO AND BASIL TART

(4 -- color) SUMMER SALAD

Box:

Those terrific tomatoes (see text)