Local tomatoes and cherries? A unique combination not to be missed this summer season!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, TOMATOES! I love everything that Taproot Farm grows, but I get a little extra giddy when the shares are stuffed with tomatoes each week. Big tomatoes, small tomatoes, everything in-between tomatoes – each and every one is entirely delicious! However, cherry tomatoes always catch my eye. They were the inspiration for this recipe – bite sized and full of color, they were the perfect “holder” for a mixture of local cherries and pecans, baked to sweet perfection. I had actually never tried tomatoes and cherries paired together before this recipe, but I was inspired to incorporate some local fruit. The result was very well received, and I am hoping to make it again soon. So, if you have a picnic, party, BBQ, or potluck (really anything that involves food) coming up, you many want to give this a go! Enjoy! 🙂

Serves 4-6 as an Appetizer

Recipe by © Alysha Melnyk 2019

The Kitchenologist©

@alyshamelnyk

Interested in some other fun tomato recipes? Check out this recipe from my friend Kelly, creator of The Bookish Kitchen:

Easy Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

Kitchen Tools:

Oven

Oven Safe Dish

Large Mixing Bowl

Food Processor

Knife

Measuring Spoons

Ingredients:

1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes, Halved and Seeds Removed (See picture above)

2 Teaspoons Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Pecan Pieces, Finely Chopped (I used a food processor)

3/4 Cup Sweet Cherry Pieces (Pits Removed)

1/3 Cup Feta

Balsamic Reduction

Torn Basil

Black Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

1. First, preheat your oven to 375°F and pour two teaspoons of olive oil into your baking dish. Spread the olive oil to coat the dish.
2. Next, half and deseed your tomatoes if you haven’t already (see picture above).
3. Mix your pecan pieces and sweet cherry pieces.
4. Fill tomato halves with pecan/cherry filling (I used ~1 heaping teaspoon apiece, but you can eyeball it). Place stuffed tomatoes in baking dish.
5. Bake tomatoes on the middle rack of your oven for 20 to 25 minutes (tomatoes should be tender).
6. Sprinkle tomatoes with black pepper, feta, torn basil and balsamic reduction.
7. Enjoy warm! 🙂