What is an heirloom tomato, you might ask?
Well, by definition, an heirloom tomato is a variety of tomato that has been passed down through several generations of a family because of its valued characteristics. It is usually a variety that was introduced before 1940 or has been in circulation for more than 50 years. New heirlooms are also created by cross-pollinating two heirlooms or an heirloom and a hybrid to produce new seeds.
In recent years, heirloom tomatoes have become more readily available commercially. I recently acquired a few heirlooms from a local farm and decided to make some delicious tomato soup. Heirlooms are easily recognizable by their bigger size and also colorful characteristics (a mix of yellow, orange, pink and green). In this dish, I started by roasting 5 lbs of the tomatoes together with shallots, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper as shown below:
