Put Up or Shut Up Episode 6: Tomatoes

Where did the locavore pirate purchase his vegetables?

 

Straight from the fAARRRRHHmer.

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!

I'm sorry I've been absent for so long.  I didn't even realize that it had been so long.  Canning season is in full swing, and it takes up a lot of my free time.  On top of that, my dance troupe has our "big show" of the year coming up this weekend, so I've been busy crafting things to sell.  (Yes, in addition to being a tremendously talented cook and witty blogger, I'm also quite handy with a crochet hook.  I am a woman of many talents - none of them exceptionally marketable...).  Make sure you come check us out at Tribal Union this Saturday.  It's going to be a sweet show.

Technically Fall starts on Saturday, but the chill of fall has been in the air the past few nights.  I woke up with cold toes this morning.  I like summer, and I like being warm, but fall is by far my favorite season in terms of both clothing (I love me a sweater dress!) and food.  There is nothing like a warm stew that's been in the crock pot or oven all day.  The oven now makes me even happier, since my wonderful mother got me one of these for my birthday:

Everything I make in it is automatically fancy.

And, with the end of summer and the start of fall, sadly and naturally comes the end of tomato season.  It's been a good year for tomatoes for me.  When we reach this point in the year, however, tomatoes start to turn a little ugly.  They get spots, or end up oddly shaped, or just don't taste as great as they did in the middle of the summer.  They tend to get soft spots easier.  They don't seem to last as long on the counter.

While sad, all of these things are good for you - the industrious, over achieving, borderline food hoarding, obsessive compulsive canner.

Oh, wait, that's not you, that's me!

Anyway, you should now be able to find a 10 or 20 lb box of tomatoes at your local farmer's market for far less than the normal price.  Some farmers also offer "seconds," which are those ugly tomatoes that you probably don't want to put on your BLT.  Okay, so you'll need to cut a few bruised spots off.  They're still good!

I do a few things with my tomatoes.  The first and easiest is to freeze them whole.  Just wash them and stick them into the freezer.  Once you've got a stack of them, I'd recommend putting them into freezer bags for long term storage.  Once you're ready to use them, just thaw them enough to cut them (I would cut them before they thaw all the way though, because they'll get mushy) and then use them in any recipe that calls for cooked tomatoes.  You don't want to eat them raw though - again when they thaw all the way they get really mushy and weird.  You can't tell the difference when they're cooked, though.

You can also use these tomatoes anywhere it calls for canned tomatoes.  And the skins remove really easily, too.  Just throw them into a pot of boiling water fully frozen, and the skins pop right off on their own!  This also helps thaw them out enough to cut them too.

I tend to save tomatoes all summer this way.  When I've got a big stack, and one or two looks like it's going to get old before I can eat it, I just throw it in the freezer.  I'm up to about 3 and a half gallon freezer bags.

This year, for the first time, I've also canned whole and diced tomatoes.  I haven't done this in the past because it seemed like a waste of canning time - since the frozen tomatoes can be used in place of both of these items.  But, I found the frozen tomatoes were taking up too much room in my freezer.  And, on top of that, when I'm making something in the crock pot in the morning before work I don't always have time/want to make the time to be dealing with frozen tomatoes.  It'll be nice to just dump a jar of tomatoes into the crock pot and go.

Spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, and salsa rounded out my "regular" tomato canning.  One thing I did this year that I didn't do last year was I saved all the skins from all the tomatoes I canned, and threw them into the pot when making my tomato sauce.  I really felt it thickened the sauce up and gave it an extra tomato-y texture.  It also made me feel good to think I was getting as much as possible out of all parts of the tomato.

I say "regular" tomato canning, because this doesn't include the green tomatoes.  Green tomatoes are, in my opinion, highly undervalued.  Fried green tomatoes are not even close to being the best thing about green tomatoes.  First off, you can pickle them. Pickled green tomatoes are an amazing treat.  I've made a winter caprese salad (that's your tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil salad) using pickled green tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes.  They're also good for just eating.

But maybe you don't like pickled things the way I do.  That's fine (you're wrong, but it's fine).  Here's another suggestion.  This may be hailed as food blasphemy, but you can also can whole green tomatoes and substitute them for canned tomatillos.  They're not going to be exactly the same - they're not as tangy or as acidic.  If you are going to substitute them, I would recommend adding a good amount of lime juice to up the sass, but I can't find local tomatillos for less than $4.99 a pound, and that's far too much when I need a bunch for my famous green pork chili.  So I'm going to substitute green tomatoes, and it's going to be amazing.  If you've got a problem with that, you don't get any chili!

So pick up some tomato seconds at the farmer's market, and get canning!

Canned Whole Tomatoes - Red or Green (or yellow.  Or orange.  Or whatever)
For each Quart of Tomatoes:

• 3 pounds tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice 

 Remove the skins from the tomatoes by boiling briefly and dipping in ice water.  (We've been talking about this for a year now - do I really need to explain it to you?)

Put 2 tablespoons lemon juice into a one quart jar.  Pack the tomatoes into the jar one at a time, pressing firmly enough to compress the hollow core and release enough juice to cover the tomatoes, but not enough to crush the fruit.  Continue to pack the tomatoes in this manner, pressing out any air pockets.  Tomatoes should be covered by 1/2 inch with their liquid.  Leave 1/2 inch of headspace between the top of the liquid and the lid.  Top with a little boiling water, if necessary, to achieve the proper headspace.

Use the boiling water method and process jars for 85 minutes.  Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes.

If you are using green tomatoes to substitute for tomatillos, consider replacing the lemon juice with lime juice.

Canned Diced Tomatoes
Same as above, but dice the tomatoes instead of pushing them into the jars.  Save the any tomato juice to cover the tomatoes in the jar.

Chunky Spaghetti Sauce
Makes about 8 Quarts

• 20 lbs of tomatoes (preferably plum or Roma)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb onions, diced
• 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 large carrots, diced
• 4 large green peppers
• 1 cup fresh oregano
• 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice per quart
• 1 tsp salt per quart
• 1 bay leaf per quart

 Blanch and shock tomatoes to remove peels.  Dice into about 1 inch cubes, and set aside.

In a large pot, sweat down onions over low heat until soft and translucent - about 15 minutes.  Raise heat to medium, add garlic, carrots, and peppers, and saute until veggies are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add tomatoes and oregano and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a low and simmer for 1 hour.  The sauce should be reduced and slightly thickened.

Ladle into jars (adding lemon juice, salt, and bay leaf), leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Process using the boiling water method for 45 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove the lid from the canner, and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes.

Tomato Basil Sauce
Makes about 6 pints

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 head garlic, chopped
• 10 lbs tomatoes, cut into large chunks (don't worry about the skins this time)
• Any skins you have from other tomatoes you've canned (you can freeze these to use later, too)
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, warm the oil over low heat.  Add the onions and sweat until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes longer.

Add the tomatoes, skins, and wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened - about 1 hour.

Pass the tomato mixture through a mesh sieve set over a clean, large pot.  I like to really work the remaining solids to work out any pulp in order to get a thicker sauce but that is your choice.  Bring the tomato sauce back to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.  Stir in the basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Ladle the sauce into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.  Process using the boiling water method for 30 minutes. 

Tomato Basil Sauce (front) and Chunky Spaghetti
Sauce (back) in progress.  I need bigger pots...

Heirloom Tomato Salsa
Makes about 7 pints
Using a variety of tomatoes in different colors creates a pretty salsa, but isn't necessary.

• 1 cup white viegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 3 lbs heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 pounds onions, diced
• 1 to 2 hot peppers of your favorite variety, diced
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a large, nonreactive sauce pan.  add the tomatoes, onions, and peppers, and return to a boil for 5 minutes.  Add the cilantro and remove from the heat.

Ladle into clean hot pint or half pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Process for 15 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove the canner lid, and let rest in the water for 5 minutes.

Pickled Green Tomatoes
Makes 6 pints (use pints or half pints)

• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 12 bay leaves
• 24 cloves garlic
• 3/4 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp dried oregeno
• 1 small yellow onion cut into thin slices
• 12 small hot peppers (optional)
• 6 cups green tomatoes, cut into large chunks or slices (or use whole cherry tomatoes)

In a large pot, combine the vinegar and salt.  Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt.

Meanwhile, divide bay leaves, garlic, spices, and onion amongst jars.  Pack tomatoes tightly into the jars, within one inch of the rims.  Ladle the boiling brine into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.  Wipe the rims and seal tightly.  Because of the high level of acidity, these pickles do not require a boiling water bath - but make sure the brine is boiling when you ladle it in so they seal properly.

Let the jars sit for at least two weeks for flavors to develop.

Vegas, Baby!

Hmm... Well, I am pretty sure (okay, positive) that last Wednesday I promised you recipes for two awesome summer salads - tomorrow.  Yeah, tomorrow has come and gone and then some.  So, I'm stuck with a dilemma.  Do I just admit that I was having way too much fun in Vegas to be bothered with posting?  Or, do I wait until this week Thursday and post as if no time had elapsed.  It would be kind of fun to see if I could convince anyone that they imagined a whole week.  I've had busy enough weeks at work where I might almost believe that...

But that seems like a lot of work, and besides, I had way too much fun in Las Vegas to not brag about it.

This past weekend was the Las Vegas Belly Dance Intensive, at which my dance troupe performed.  It was a great time.  We danced on Saturday, and took in some shows - including "Peepshow" featuring ex-girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, Holly Madison, as Bo Peep.  Yay!  Famous boobies!

Now, I don't gamble.  Mostly because I'm cheap and I don't see the point.  I want to spend my money doing things, not sitting in front of a slot machine.  It's just not for me.  "So what do you do in Vegas?" you might ask.

Silly.  I eat.  What else would I do?

I feel about celebrity chefs the way that teenage girls feel about Justin Bieber.  That's embarrassing, I know, but I don't care.  I will scream and shout and jump up and down and cause a scene.  I will go to their restaurants every opportunity I get, even if I know they're probably not there.  Even in Las Vegas, when I know for a FACT that they're not there, because that's not their real restaurant, it's just a copy of their real restaurant.

We went to Hubert Keller's Burger Bar (which I have been to the original of in San Francisco), and Rick Moonen's RM Seafood.  The food was amazing (which is true of ALMOST all of the celebrity chef's restaurants I've been to.  These two were Top Chef Masters for a reason!)  At Burger Bar I built my own burger with asparagus, shrimp, peppered bacon, and a creamy peppercorn sauce, and I had a Chocolate Cowboy shake.  I have to admit that the burger looked so good, I devoured it without remembering to take a picture.  But it was pretty.  The chocolate cowboy, though, was really the star of the show.  A chocolate shake with whiskey.  I don't usually care for whiskey, but it seems to pair very well with chocolate. It started a conversation at our table about shakes, and why they never taste as good when made at home.  And, especially after being introduced to the glories of alcoholic milkshakes, we all decided (I went there with the troupe) it was something we NEEDED to be making at home.  The only solution, it seems, would be to get one of these.

At RM's Seafood (where just Jeff and I went), I got the Cioppino, and Jeff got a Lobster pasta dish.  They were both AMAZING.  Cioppino is one of those foods that I get when I am at an Italian restaurant that seems like it should have good seafood.  I can't decide which kind of seafood I want, and I don't want to pick just one, so I go with the seafood stew.  That might not be an option anymore, as this blew everything I've ever had in a Cioppino out of the water.  It was the perfect temperature, just spicy enough, and just the right thickness.  It had fish, crab, shrimp, mussels, and clams.  Those loops that you see - they're not calamari, they're pasta - perfectly cooked and just rough enough to hold onto the spicy tomato broth.  I bought the cookbook (Signed.  That's what I do when I go to celebrity chef restaurants, and then I put them on a high shelf to be admired but probably not to get dirty), and the waiter told me that this recipe is in there, but I'm pretty sure I'm not cooking at a Top Chef Masters caliber.  Yet.

Jeff's pasta was also delicious, but very rich, and my bowl was very full, so I did not try a lot.  My personal favorite part was the Bucatini pasta, which is like a thick spaghetti with a hole down the middle.  Since I was a little kid, I have always thought this kind of pasta is super fun, because you can breathe through it while you eat!  I am easily amused.  

We had other good food too.  Dinner at BB King's with a really good blues band, stuffing our faces at the Rio's Sunday Morning Champagne Buffet (I had the worst daytime hangover that I can ever remember having), and dessert at Jean Philippe Patisserie.  Basically I stuffed my belly as full as I could, and then showed it off!  Good times were had by all.

And, as promised, here are your summer salad recipes.  These seem very similar, but the first has a much stronger flavor that the second.  The first would be better with something that has a more intense flavor, like spicy pork or beef, while the second would pair better with a cleaner flavor - like grilled chicken.

For both of these recipes, save your watermelon rind.  I'll tell you why later!

Tomato Feta Salad:
 (Makes a large batch to share.  If you are just looking for one meals worth, you may want to halve or even quarter this recipe)

•  4 cups watermelon chunks (L).  If you're feeling fancy, pull the seeds out.  I left this for the eater to deal with!
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (L)
• 1 medium Valida or other sweet onion, thinly sliced (L)
• About 2 tbsp fresh basil, sliced thinly (L*) I used a combo of red and green basil, just to make it look prettier.
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Freshly ground pepper

Mix together watermelon, feta, and onions.  Sprinkle with basil.  In a separate bowl, mix together vinegar, salt, and pepper, then pour over watermelon and stir gently to combine.  This tastes better if allowed to chill for a few hours, up to a day, before serving.

Tomato, Watermelon, and Cucumber Salad
(This is a smaller batch - good for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day)

• 2 cups watermelon chunks (L)
• 1-2 large or 3-4 small thickly diced tomatoes (about 2 cups) (L*)  I would recommend using a flavorful tomato, that doesn't have a lot of seeds.  
• 1 small cucumber, quartered and sliced, skin on if it's not too tough (L*)
• 1/4 cup feta cheese (L)
• 1 tbsp champagne vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh dill, minced (L*)

Combine all ingredients and stir gently to combine. 

Tomato Basil Salmon

Today's recipe is one of those "almost" local ones.  It's all local - EXCEPT..

I just can't give up my fish.  I can't, and I don't want to.  If I eat all red meat all the time, I am going to raise my cholesterol level.  Plus, according to Wikipedia, salmon is high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D!  Don't eat the farmed salmon, though, because it's chucked full of PCBs.

(Although, on the other hand, salmon is one of the foods my doctor told me to cut out to help decrease my risk of getting kidney stones: salmon, spinach, nuts, chocolate, and wine.  Riiiggghhhttt... that's gonna happen real soon.)

I could, in theory, eat Lake Michigan salmon and have it be mostly local.  According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, I can eat 1 meal per month of Chinook Salmon (as long as it is less than 30" long) or Coho Salmon (of any size) before I die of cancer or possibly start glowing in the dark. The Michigan Department of Public Health says the same.  I can't find the information from the Wisconsin Department of Public Health...

I know that, like anything, lake fish is healthy when eaten in moderation.  But it's just too big of a risk in my mind.  I could, in theory, want to have kids some day, and I don't want all that mercury floating around in my system.  Once I am 100% sure I am never having any, or any more, kids, I will eat my one serving of lake fish per month.  But, until then, I think I would rather go out of market for my seafood.  I will make an exception for smelt once per year, though, because it's an important Wisconsin tradition, and because smelt is on the safe to eat once a week list, and I'm only eating it once a year. 

Any way, the moral of that story is I like salmon, it's good for me, and I'm going to eat it.  If you want to complain about it, post a comment (I never get any comments... and negative attention is better than no attention at all!)

We're reaching the end of summer, and tomatoes should be in full force.  It is, from what I've heard, a bad year for tomatoes.  Tomato blight is bad, at least in my garden, and I've heard the same from others.  I'm still getting more than I can use, but not a lot more.  Certainly not enough to can yet.  Tomato blight is, in my mind, a pretty scary thing.  Late blight is a disease of tomatoes - but it is also a disease of potatoes.  We had no tomato blight in WI from 2002 to 2009, but we've got it now.  And, it's the same blight that caused the potato famine in Ireland.

So far I've frozen about a half of a gallon sized freezer bag for later use.  Sounds like a lot, right?  But, I've got seven plants going for two people.  At this point, I should have BAGS frozen, and I should have missed some and thrown them out already.  I'm happy I'm not throwing them out, but I wish there were more to freeze... or try to can.  Tomatoes are really easy to freeze.  Just wash them and throw them in the freezer.  You'll want to keep them safe until they freeze up - I keep them in that little shelf on the door - but once they're frozen solid you can just toss them in a bag.  They're like great big solid marbles of goodness.  You can use a frozen tomato anywhere that you would use a cooked tomato.  You only want to let them thaw for a few minutes before cutting them, though.  If they thaw all the way they will just mush out on you and you will never be able to cut them nicely.

But a fresh tomato is still better than a frozen one, and I'd rather use as many fresh as I could while they're still fresh.  Especially when I have glorious heirloom tomatoes.  I freeze the romas, and I freeze the cherry tomatoes - because those are what I seem to get the most of - but the best tomatoes should be used right away.  The best way to eat a tomato is fresh off the vine, with a little salt - but this is a good second best.

So - not local salmon.  But local, fresh, heirloom tomatoes.  A good compromise, I hope:

Tomato Basil Salmon
(Serves 2)

•  2 - 8 oz salmon fillets
• 1 clove garlic - smashed and minced (L)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 firm tomato (L*)
• approximately 8 basil leaves, sliced into thin strips (chiffonade) (L*)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Season salmon with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Top with tomatoes, and season tomatoes again with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle basil over tomatoes.

Take each salmon fillet, and wrap it securely in a piece of aluminum foil, creating a pocket.  It's best if you can overlap the foil as little as possible, while still creating a secure pocket, as doubled up foil is going to keep the heat out and prevent the salmon from cooking evenly.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until salmon is firm to the touch but still slightly opaque in the center.  Please, PLEASE do not over cook your salmon.  Seriously.  It's so much better if it's even undercooked a little.  If you are buying a good piece of fish, it's okay to keep it from being well done.  Trust me; it will taste better!

All I want is a freakin' lime here people! Is that too much to ask?

As any random chef on Food Network will tell you, acid is important to a well balanced dish.  It brings out flavor, adds a "fresh, bright taste," and perks up your mouth!  Although vinegar works, in my mind citrus is better.  Why?  Because it's a fruit.  And putting fruit in my food instantly makes it healthy, right?

Random trivia fact: the organic molecules that provide the essence of lemon and lime are identical mirror images of each other.

But one thing that I will never be able to have locally, living in Wisconsin, is citrus fruit, right?  No!  Wrong!  Surfing the interwebs one day, I stumbled across some dwarf citrus trees that are intended to be grown as indoor house plants and that supposedly bear full sized fruit.  It sounds too good to be true!  (To be fair, it probably is too good to be true...).  Of course, I'm sure they take at least a few years to be big enough to bear fruit... but whatever.  Even if I never get anything, I like plants!

So, I ordered a few.  I found a site that had them fairly cheep, and the company was located out of IL, so I felt good about supporting a local business.  They had a "4 pack" - lemon, lime, and two kinds of oranges.  With shipping it turned out to be about $50.  Not bad, I thought.  Checked the reviews of the company on line:  Good product, slow shipping, and poor communication.  Whatever.  I can totally deal with that.  So I placed my order.

3 weeks pass.  Nothing.  Not even a confirmation email.  They charged my credit card the day I placed the order, so I at least know they got it.  Poor communication is right.  So I give them a call.  "I'm trying to find the status of my order," I ask.  They take some of my personal information to find my order.  I'd love to help out by giving them a confirmation number or something, but I never got one... "Your order hasn't shipped yet," I'm told.  "Do you have any idea when it might?"  "Sorry, but I couldn't say at this time..."  Okay, so you have my money, but you can't even begin to guess when you might ship me my goods?  And, to top things off, my credit card bill is due in the next few days.  I've never had to dispute a charge, but I remember reading one time that you can't dispute the charge after you've paid.  So I say "Okay, well just so you know, I'm going to have to call my credit card and see what the policy is on disputing a charge.  I do really want these plants, but I've never ordered from you before so for all I know you could be a scam.  I don't want to pay the bill and then never get my items."  The customer service representative actually laughed at that and said "I'll be sure to pass that on.  Maybe it will help them ship faster!"

So, I call my credit card company.  No need to worry.  I can always dispute the charge as long as I do so within 90 days.  Give them a little more time.

So I do.  Two more weeks pass - 5 total now - and I call again.  Any word on my order?

They take my personal information again - still no confirmation number.  "Are you calling about the order you canceled?"  I'm stunned.   "I didn't cancel any order.  I called two weeks ago to try to find the status..."

He puts me on hold.  About 10 minutes later he's finally back.  "It appears you called two weeks ago and were unsatisfied with the time it was taking to get your product.  You stated that you felt it was inappropriate that we charged your card before shipping your items.  Since you're a first time customer, it was determined that it wasn't worth the hassle and your order was canceled."

THAT IS A DIRECT QUOTE!!!

Shocked silence on my end.  Then "Okay... I'm going to need to speak to a manager."

A long hold again (at which point I checked, and the charges were refunded to my Credit Card), then a manager.  I explained the situation, especially the part where I wasn't worth their time and energy.  She apologized for the "misunderstanding" and asked if I would like to replace my order.  Since it's their busy season, I should expect it to be delivered in about 6 weeks.  "But I placed my order 5 weeks ago and you guys canceled it without asking me.  Can't you bump me to the front of the line?"

"Sorry, but our system doesn't work that way.  Would you like to re-place your order?"

Uh... How about no.

So, the moral of the story is, DO NOT ORDER FROM FOUR SEASONS NURSERY.  Seriously.  Whatever you do.  Don't go there.

Oh, yeah, and I ate stuff.  There are now real tomatoes, not even hot house grown, at the West Allis Farmer's Market.  They were AMAZING.  Two nights ago, Jeff and I had BSTs (Bacon, Spinach, and Tomato), and last night we had some awesome NY Strip Steaks on the grill with a tomato mozzarella salad.  We eat this salad pretty much all summer... considering I generally plant way more varieties of tomatoes and basil than my garden can reasonably be expected to hold.  The basil isn't local yet, but I just couldn't wait:

Tomato Mozzarella Salad 

2 large ripe tomatoes (L)

2 balls fresh mozzarella (L)

6-8 large basil leaves, thinly sliced

3 large cloves garlic , minced (L)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 generous pinch salt

1 generous pinch fresh ground pepper

1 generous pinch ground mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella so they are approximately the same thickness.  Layer slices into a glass serving dish with at least 1 inch high sides.  Sprinkle basil leaves on top. Whisk together next 5 ingredients until well combined.  Slowly, pour olive oil into mixture while whisking constantly.  Pour oil/vinegar over tomatoes and cheese, and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes for flavors to combine.