The gorgeously ripe local tomatoes (your garden or the farmers’ markets) are coming in fast! Helen Rosner’s outstanding tomato dish is an easy and delicious way to make the most of them:
| 1 tin | (3 to 4 oz.) high-quality tuna packed in olive oil |
| 1 fillet | anchovy (or more, if you like things punchy) |
| ¼c | mayonnaise |
| ¼c | olive oil |
| juice of ½ lemon (about 2 to 3 T) | |
| 1T | capers in brine, drained |
| 1 clove | garlic, peeled |
| 1t | ice-cold water |
For serving
| 5-7 | (depending on size) firm, flavourful tomatoes |
| kosher salt | |
| 2T | fresh basil leaves, roughly torn |
| freshly-cracked black pepper |
In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients (including the tuna oil), except water, and blend until the mixture achieves a pale, silken consistency, slightly thicker than cake batter, pausing and scraping down the sides as needed. Add ice-cold water and blend for another 10 to 15 seconds until the sauce takes on a slightly glossy texture. If the mixture feels too thick or lumpy, add more ice-cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Transfer tonnato to a serving bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator to set for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
Wash tomatoes and remove their stems. Using a very sharp knife, slice tomatoes latitudinally into 1⁄2-inch rounds. On a serving platter, arrange a single layer of tomato slices, and dust sparingly with kosher salt. If more tomatoes remain, arrange them on top of the lower layer and sprinkle each slice with a few grains of salt. Just before serving, remove the prepared tonnato sauce from the fridge and stir to incorporate any oil that may have separated. Spoon about half the tonnato sauce over the tomatoes, reserving the remainder for another day Garnish with basil leaves and several coarse grinds of black pepper.