Lunch!

It is that time of year, DIYeters. The time of year when I am searching for ways to use up the last of my tomatoes. This was a much better year in central New England for tomatoes than last year. We had plenty of sun and just the right amount of heat. We had enough fresh tomatoes for salads, pasta sauce, and sandwiches. I was able to put up a few pints of tomato puree last month. Now that we are past the vernal equinox, we do not have enough sunlight to ripen tomatoes, though.

I made a batch green tomato relish, some of which will definitely be holiday gifts. (I love this recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, but beware that the stated yield is off. I routinely get double the amount they quote. ) I am actively looking for ways to use the rest of my green tomatoes, too. By all means, drop some suggestions in the comments section.

Today, I had a few remaining ripe tomatoes to use up. Since Mr. Food It Yourself and I were both home – I am burning off vacation time and he just happened to be between service calls for work- I decided to whip up something yummy for lunch. I know I’ve blogged about pizza before, but I just couldn’t resist one more: fresh tomato, bacon and cheddar pizza.

I started with the bacon. I like my bacon crispy, and that means slowly rendering out the fat. A cast iron skillet is the perfect choice for this process.

While that sizzled away, I mixed up a batch of dough. I like this recipe. You can use whatever pizza base you like, though. I set the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I sliced the tomatoes and let them sit for a few minutes on a paper towel. This soaked up the extra moisture. In my experience, damp tomatoes give you soggy pizza. Nobody wants soggy pizza.

After the bacon was nice and crispy, I chopped it into small bits. I poured the bacon grease into a jar for future cooking. Then it hit me. Instead of using my pizza pan to bake the pizza, which would just be another thing to wash later, I could bake the pizza in that cast iron skillet. After all, the skillet was already coated in non-stick bacon fat.

I patted the dough into the skillet, then layered in the tomatoes. I let that bake for ten minutes, then added the bacon. Finally I topped it all off with some shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Twenty minutes later…

The tomatoes were flavorful enough to stand up to the bacon and nippy cheddar. The crust was chewy and not too heavy. I am quite pleased with this method of using up my last few tomatoes. I have to admit that my mother (miss you, ma!) was an inspiration here. She would make a pizza as a way to use up bits of left-over tomato sauce, meat, cheese, and vegetables. Her pizzas were never the same twice, but were always delicious.

What are you doing with the last ripe vegetables and fruits from your garden? If you live where the growing season is just starting, what are you looking forward to harvesting and enjoying first? Share in the comments!