Fresh Cold Tomato Soup

Hope you're not sick of tomato recipes yet! I saw this Cold Tomato Soup recipe in the Times and thought I'd try it with a few changes. It's simple, fresh, and a great way to use these amazing tomatoes before it gets cold. I had my friend Chelsea over for dinner and this was a a great, light dinner - perfect for the humid night. Would also be great for lunch.

Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
3-4 cups tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
3 tbsp basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Prosciutto-Wrapped Peaches with Basil

It's summer and it's hot - apps that involve no cooking really appeal to me. This recipe from Epicurious looked so fresh and summery. I tried it out this week and it was great! Jamie loved them, and they couldn't have been easier. Kind of a fun switch from prosciutto with melon. The vinegar, sugar, cumin mixture adds a nice, subtle zing and the salty prosciutto and sweet peach go well together - and basil makes it all taste fresh and summery.

I think it would also probably be great thrown on the grill for a minute with some pecorino, but for now this is great and involves no cooking.

For 2 (1/2 peach per person, so just get more if you have more people!)
Ingredients:
1 yellow peach, core removed and cut into 8 pieces
4 pieces of prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
8 basil leaves
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
big pinch cumin

Directions:
Mix the vinegar, sugar, and cumin and toss the peach slices with it in a bowl. Let them sit about 10 minutes. Wrap each peach slice with a strip of prosciutto, put a piece of basil on top, and secure with a toothpick. Done!

Easy Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella, and Garlic Sauce

This is one of the easiest dinners - and one of the tastiest. It's best in summer when the tomatoes are fresh and ripe, but can be done in the winter with good looking grape tomatoes. I had the supplies already (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, mozzarella) so I threw it together this morning before leaving for work. The longer it sits the better it tastes. It's so fresh and delicious and tastes like summer with its bright flavor. Mmm.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, torn into bite size pieces (this makes it juicier) or chopped, about a cup
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
good pour of extra virgin olive oil, about 1/4-1/3 cup
about 1/2 cup of diced fresh mozzarella
teaspoon kosher salt
pinch hot pepper flakes
basil or parsley, chopped

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let sit. If it's more than a couple of hours before dinner, put it in the fridge. If not, just leave it out. Salt/add more spice to taste. Toss with hot pasta (fusilli or bow ties or other bite sized pasta is best) and top with freshly chopped parsley or basil.