Stir-fried Tomatoes with Melting Butter

It’s August and I should have had a decent tomato sandwich by now, but the weather in Portland is a mess, my garden is a disaster, and none of my tomatoes are ripe enough to deserve a sandwich. .

Naturally, I bought a few, but unfortunately (but predictably) they were terrible. This happens to me every year, and I have Several strategy to deal with dull tomatobut today, at the recommendation of a friend, I tried a slightly different approach and sautéed the slices in butter.

Almost too easy, but it works. As with inferior produce, adding butter (or fat) means adding flavor, but there’s a lot more going on here. and the taste is condensed. These juices are then mixed with the butter in the pan to create an umami-rich tomato butter that is slightly browned throughout and has specks of concentrated sugar.

it’s good.

and Easy. just slice the tomatoes leaves seeds and gel, add 1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter to nonstick skillet for every 4 slices. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomato slices when the butter begins to bubble. Cook on one side for at least 5 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to lose their shape a little and collect a few nice brown bits around the skillet.

Carefully transfer the tomatoes to a plate and drizzle the tomato butter over the top. Season with salt and pepper, then use a silicone or wooden spatula to scrape up the small charred bits and stick them to the tomatoes.

Serve as a side dish, on toast for breakfast, or mixed with rice or pasta (add a little pasta water). Cold leftover chicken thighshighly recommend the same.