Mid

The scent of autumn fills the air and afternoon light has taken on the golden glow that always signals that the first pomegranates will be at the market next time I go shopping. Tomatoes and eggplants are heavy on the vine. Chiles are beginning to turn red and the heat is rising in padrons and shishitos.

From now until the first cold snap or heavy rain, summer’s bounty overlaps with the first of fall’s harvest and it does so gloriously in our gardens and farms. Both seasonal and year round markets are thriving, as are the farm stands that beckon from every corner of the county.

My garden is in a race against time, as seven Sunshine variety watermelon plants show just three melons, all about the size of a dried chickpea. It took much longer for them to sprout, weeks instead of days, than expected. Last year, I got one melon; I’m holding out hope for more this year.

As I wait — melons are a late summer and fall crop in Sonoma County — I am focusing on tomatoes, which have a special character at this time of year. Mid-season tomatoes are richer, heavier, and juicier than early fruit; tomato salads and sandwiches give way to soups and sauces, which almost make themselves.

When it comes to working with fresh tomatoes, one of the more important things to understand is also one of the easiest: How to peel them. Most recipes include instructions to plunge fresh tomatoes into boiling water for about 30 seconds, or until the skin begins to separate from the flesh.

This is not the best way to peel tomatoes, especially if you will be using them raw. Boiling water dilutes flavors and cooks about ¼-inch of the tomato’s flesh. If you transfer the tomatoes from a boiling water bath to ice water, flavors are diluted even more.

There are two better ways, both of which preserve the tomato’s fresh taste and texture.

First, the skin of vine-ripened tomatoes, especially heirlooms, is often easy to remove simply by pinching it between your fingernails and pulling. You can peel a dozen or two ripe heirlooms in the time it takes to boil a pot of water.

Second, searing the skins over a high flame or hot burner is easy and efficient. To do so, secure a tomato on the tines of a fork pushed through the stem end. Then slowly rotate the tomato in the flame or as close to a hot burner as possible. You may hear the skins snap as they blister slightly. It should take about 30 seconds. Set them aside to cool and then use your fingers to pull off the skins, which should be very easy to remove.

Neither of these techniques dilutes flavors nor interferes with the texture of the fruit.

Once you have seared and removed the skins, you can use the tomatoes however you like, in salads, soups, sauces, and beverages. If you have a big crop, freeze them for use in winter soups and braises.

With a few exceptions, it is best to purée tomatoes by passing them through a food mill, not by putting them into a blender or food processor. A food mill is a mechanical devise that separates the seeds and peels from the flesh and juice. Blenders and processors introduce air, making the tomatoes foamy, a texture I find unpleasant.

Makes about 1 quart

I do not grow my own tomatoes, as the footprint of my garden does not lend itself to producing good fruit. I am most familiar with the excellent tomatoes of The Patch, available at several of our farmers markets and at The Patch’s farm stand, at 280 Second Street, East in Sonoma. I like their Shady Ladies and Early Girls, two hybrids, for salsas and prefer their heirloom varieties for this sauce and for fresh soups, such as gazpacho. This simple sauce is ideal when your heirlooms are nearly overripe, as it will extend their life by a few days.

8 to 10 large heavy heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks

Set a food mill fitted with its medium or large blade over a deep bowl. Grind all the tomatoes through it. Discard the seeds and peels.

Pour the milled tomatoes into a quart jar or similar container, tighten the lid, refrigerate, and use within 3 to 4 days.

Variation: For a subtle amount of heat, score 1 or 2 serranos, cutting lengthwise so that the chiles open up a bit. Submerge the serranos in the tomato sauce for 2 to 3 days and tip the jar back and forth a few times every now and then. Remove the serranos and either discard them or mince them to use in another dish.

-Add 1 cup of ultra-premium extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt to taste, and use as a drizzle over soups, stews, polenta, and pastas.

-Use as a base for gazpacho and other chilled tomato soups.

-Put 3 tablespoons of good butter into a sauté pan set over medium heat and when it is melted add 2 crushed and peeled garlic cloves and 2 cups of the sauce. Heat through, remove and discard the garlic, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss with wide noodles, such as fettuccini or pappardelle. Top with chopped Italian parsley and grated cheese.

-For a simple mocktail on a hot afternoon, combine the sauce with 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice, the juice of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 garlic cloves put through a press, 1 teaspoon celery salt, a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir well, pour into glasses filled with ice cubes, and garnish with a wedge of orange or lime.

-For a refreshing beverage, add 1 cup cucumber juice to the sauce, along with celery salt, grated lemon zest, lemon juice, snipped chives, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir well, pour into ice-filled glasses, and garnish with cucumber slices.

Makes 6 servings

This soup is similar to traditional Cordoba gazpacho, though I have added smoked paprika, my own flourish. For the most traditional version, omit it. I do not typically advise puréeing tomatoes in a blender or food processor, a process that makes them foamy. This version works because of the bread.

4 ounces day-old sourdough hearth bread, crusts removed, in chunks

Warm water

1 ½ pounds ripe dense-flesh tomatoes, peeled, cored, and seeded

3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika, plus more to taste

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and grated

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

Black pepper in a mill

2 ounces Jamón Serrano, in very thin slices, see Note

Put the bread into a bowl, cover with warm water, and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Put the tomatoes, garlic, and paprika into a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse until smooth.

Squeeze the water from the bread, add half of it to the tomato mixture, and process until fully incorporated. With the machine operating, drop in the remains bread, a chunk at a time, until all of it has been added.

Season generously with salt and pulse several times. With the machine operating, add the vinegar and olive oil. Taste and correct for salt and paprika.

Pour the soup, which should be thick and creamy, into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

To serve, ladle into soup plates.

Working quickly, put the grated egg and parsley into a bowl, season with salt and several turns of black pepper, toss gently, and sprinkle over the soup. Top with strips of jamón serrano and enjoy right away.

Note: Jamón serrano is intensely-flavored cured pork, similar but not identical to prosciutto.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “The Good Cook’s Book of Tomatoes.” Email her at [email protected].