Time for Tomatoes

Alex Guarnaschelli turns farmers’ market tomatoes into three amazing dishes.

- Alex Guarnaschelli

alex Guarnaschelli never judges a tomato by its looks. "The beauty is in the flaws," says the chef and host of Alex vs America. "It's like with people-sometimes you fall in love and you don't even know why!" That said, she does take a minute before she fully commits: She picks up each one to make sure it's a winner. "You want heavier tomatoes because they're juicier, same as buying a melon," she says. When she finds perfect end-of-summer tomatoes at Balsam Farms in Amangansett, NY, and Marilee's Farmstand in Sagaponack, NY, Alex can't help but dream up new ways to prepare them. Try these three favorites before the season is over! -Carina Finn Koeppicus

GRILLED TOMATOES WITH OREGANO

ACTIVE: 20 min l TOTAL: 20 min l SERVES: 4 to 6

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 sprigs fresh oregano, stemmed

½ teaspoon dried oregano

2 limes Vegetable oil, for the grill

7 large heirloom tomatoes (about

2½ pounds), sliced 1½ inches thick

Flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon sugar, plus more if needed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Preheat a grill to high. Make the dressing: In a small sauté pan, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the fresh oregano. Cook until the green color fades and the leaves crisp up, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the oil and oregano into a medium bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the dried oregano to the bowl. Cut the limes in half and squeeze all the juice into the bowl. Use a citrus reamer or a spoon to scrape the pulp from the limes and add the pulp to the bowl as well. Whisk together. Taste for seasoning.