Waiting for tomatoes

<p>Tomatoes are growing heavy on the vine, swelling with succulent juices that are not quite sweet. There's a blush here and there on the plump green cheeks, but not much red. </p><p>The local tomato season hasn't kicked in yet. Next week, perhaps, or the week after.</p><p>I'm getting impatient. I'm longing for the singular alchemy of a BLT but I'm waiting until I know the tomato I choose will be perfect. The first BLT of the season has long been an important ritual and I don't like to be disappointed. </p><p>A less-than-perfect BLT has its place but midsummer, when great tomatoes are so near, is not it. I'd rather wait.</p><p>But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy some of the flavors that make a BLT such a magical combination of flavors. </p><p>There have been some fairly good cherry tomatoes at the Santa Rosa farmers market, and farm stands such as Tierra Vegetables have harvested some, too. </p><p>Although I believe mayonnaise is absolutely essential on a BLT, today's recipes do not use it. </p><p>Instead, I rely on other foods for the creamy voluptuousness that mayonnaise contributes. </p><p>Burrata, a fresh cheese from Italy that is now also made in California, provides this quality in a salad; once difficult to find, it is now available at most independent supermarkets and specialty markets. </p><p>Choose one that is filled with thick cream and shards of mozzarella, not one that is filled with ricotta.</p><p>Cherry tomatoes usually beat larger tomatoes by a couple of weeks and when you find yourself craving a BLT but insist on waiting until local heirlooms reach their peak, you can approximate the flavors and textures with a variety of salads, including this one. </p><p>And for the increasing number of people who are not eating wheat, consult the variation that follows the recipe for an delicious alternative.</p><p>While-We-Wait BLT Salad</p><p>Makes 4 to 6 servings</p><p>6 bacon slices</p><p>1 cup fresh bread crumbs (see Note below)</p><p>3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered</p><p>2 or 3 very fresh garlic cloves, crushed and minced</p><p>3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed</p><p>1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed</p><p>— Kosher salt</p><p>— Black pepper in a mill</p><p>6 cups very fresh lettuce, either inner leaves of butter lettuce or oak leaf or red leaf</p><p>12 ounces burrata</p><p>Fry the bacon until it's crisp in a heavy frying pan, preferably one made of cast iron. Transfer to absorbent paper to cool and drain. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, return the pan to medium heat, add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until they are golden brown; do not let them burn. Remove from the heat and set aside.</p><p>Put the cherry tomatoes into a bowl, add the garlic, olive oil and lemon juice and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper, taste and correct for acid balance and for seasoning.</p><p>To serve, divide the lettuce among individual plates and top with 2 ounces of burrata. Spoon the tomatoes over the burrata and lettuce and scatter the breadcrumbs on top. </p><p>Working quickly, chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces, scatter on top of each salad and serve immediately.</p><p>Note: To make fresh bread crumbs, use good hearth bread — I prefer sourdough — that is a few days old. Cut the bread into chunks, put it into a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until the bread is reduced to rice-sized crumbs, working in batches, depending on the size of your processor. </p><p>Variation: If you do not eat wheat, omit the breadcrumbs and replace them with fried shallots. To make fried shallots, slice 6 or 8 peeled and trimmed shallots into 1/8-inch crosswise slices. Separate the rings, set them on a clean tea towel and let rest for a few minutes, during which time they may release some of their juices; pat them dry. Pour an inch or so of oil — preferably coconut oil — into a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. When the temperature of the liquid is about 350 degrees, add about a third of the shallots and cook until they are crisp and golden brown. Transfer to absorbent paper and continue until all the shallots have been fried. Use in the salad as you would use the breadcrumbs.</p><p>Before summer tomato season kicks in, you can enjoy the flavors of a BLT by using tomatoes that, while not perfect on a sandwich, are pretty good when cooked. In this dish, the creamy risotto serves two functions; it replaces the creaminess of mayonnaise and when the top begins to turn golden brown and slightly crisp, it evokes toasted bread (especially if you have a really good imagination).</p><p>Tomatoes Stuffed with Bacon Risotto</p><p>Makes 6 servings</p><p>6 large beefsteak tomatoes</p><p>— Kosher salt</p><p>— Black pepper in a mill </p><p>— 1Bacon Risotto (recipe follows), hot</p><p>— Olive oil</p><p>3 dry-cured bacon strips</p><p>6 cups, approximately fresh red leaf or oak leaf lettuce</p><p>— Extra-virgin olive oil</p><p>3t ablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley</p><p>Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.</p><p>Cut off the stem end of each tomato, slicing crosswise just above the shoulder. Use a small spoon to scoop out all the flesh, gel and seeds, leaving on the skin and the layer of flesh attached to it. Season the inside of the tomatoes lightly with salt and pepper.</p><p>Fill the hollowed tomatoes with risotto and set the filled tomatoes in a baking dish that has been brushed with a little olive oil.</p><p>Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the top of the risotto is just taking on a bit of color. </p><p>Meanwhile, fry the bacon until it is very crisp, drain it and chop or crumble it. Set aside.</p><p>Put the lettuce into a large bowl, season lightly with salt and toss. Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil and toss again. Divide among individual soup plates or dinner plates.</p><p>Set a tomato on top of each bed of lettuce, scatter crumbled bacon and Italian parsley on top and serve. </p><p>Bacon Risotto</p><p>Makes 3½-4 cups</p><p>4 dry-cured bacon strips</p><p>1 tablespoon butter</p><p>1 small white onion, diced</p><p>2 garlic cloves, micned</p><p>— Kosher salt</p><p>— Black pepper in a mill</p><p>5 cups homemade chicken broth, hot</p><p>1 cup Vialone Nano or Carnaroli rice</p><p>3 ounces teleme cheese, in small pieces</p><p>Fry the bacon until it is just crisp in a deep saucepan (an All Clad saucier is ideal). Drain on absorbent paper and then chop or crumble. Set aside.</p><p>Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, add the butter and, with the heat on medium-low, add the onion and saute until very soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.</p><p>Add the rice and saute, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until each grain turns milky white, about 2 minutes. Begin to add the hot broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring between additions until all of the liquid is absorbed. You'll need to adjust the heat so that the stock neither evaporates immediately or just sits in the pan. If you have an electric stove, it is a good idea to move between two burners, one on high, another on medium. </p><p>Continue adding stock, ½cup at a time, until the rice swells and becomes tender but not mushy. It should take about 20 to 22 minutes. If you need more liquid, add water to the pan with the stock. When the rice seems done, stir in the cheese and bacon, taste, correct for salt and pepper and make a final addition of about ¼ cup stock or water.</p><p>Remove from heat.</p><p>Michele Anna Jordan hosts “Mouthful” each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 & 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com. You'll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/</p>