Upside-down tomatoes used to be a thing. Better than right-side-up tomatoes, they were upside-down. That, and on TV.
The scenes, shot film-noir style, showed a plant strung up by its roots, refusing to confess. To what? Fake heirloom papers?
Too dark for me. Plus the process requires heaving dirt into pot and hoisting pot into air — harder than sprinkling seeds.
This year I raised rescues; they’d been abandoned by a botany class. Dropped in the garden, the seedlings quickly scaled a low fence, then flailed for help. When none arrived, they scrambled across the top rail. Maybe I can get a TV deal for sideways tomatoes.
Some mornings, a clutch of fat red tomatoes turns up. Some mornings, they’re pre-nibbled. Slim Bunny, seen lurking near the kale, is considered the prime suspect. Until I can nab him and flip him upside down for questioning I’ll — begrudgingly — share.
Tomato tart
Prep: 30 minutes plus 1 hour to chill
Bake: 30 minutes
Makes: One 9-inch tart
1/4 cup (loosely packed) slivered basil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Tart pastry (recipe follows)
1 1/4 pounds beautiful, ripe tomatoes (a mix of colors and sizes is prettiest), sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1. Mix: Toss together basil, cheese and thyme.
2. Roll: On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 13-inch circle. Fold in quarters and unfold onto a parchment-lined baking pan.
3. Fill: Spread herb and cheese mixture over pastry, leaving a 2-inch border bare. Cover with tomatoes, overlapping the slices slightly. Drizzle tomatoes with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Shape: Fold the pastry border up and over the tomatoes, forming a 9-inch rustic tart.
5. Bake: Slide pan onto a lower rack of a 425-degree oven and bake until pastry is golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Slice and savor.
Tart pastry: Measure into food processor: 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pulse once to mix. Drop in 1 stick unsalted butter (cut into 5 chunks), and pulse about 5 times, until lumps range in size from crumbs to beans. Dump flour mixture into a large bowl. Drizzle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, folding pastry with a flexible spatula, until pastry clumps. You¿ll need about 5 tablespoons water. Pat into a disk. Dust with flour. Wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
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