Garden Fresh Tomato Poke - Tomato Week Part 1

We found some stunning tomatoes at the farmer's market yesterday and we immediately thought of a slew of dishes we could make with those bright crimson beauties.

Our newest invention is Tomato Poke, the vegetarian version of the traditional Hawaiian dish Tuna Poke. Tuna Poke (pronounced poh-kay) is made with fresh ahi, but when we saw the gorgeous red flesh of the tomatoes Barnaby said, "Perfect. I know the perfect thing to make." And he came up with not one, not two, but three perfect recipes. One of which is below, the other two I will share over the next couple of days in what I'm now calling my Tomato Week series.

Tomato Poke
Makes approximately 6 small toasts

2 medium sized tomatoes or one large one
Soy sauce, to taste
Sesame oil, to taste
1/4 inch slices of a good French baguette (or vegan bread), lightly toasted

Additional options that would be delicious mixed in: grated ginger, finely chopped green onion, sesame seeds and/or shredded nori (seaweed) for garnish.

Remove the skin, seeds and any tough white parts of the tomato. Finely dice the remaining tomato flesh, then strain over a bowl to remove as much juice as possible. Save the strained tomato juice! I'll tell you about a fresh and tasty cocktail later this week.

Place your drained tomato in a bowl and drizzle with soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil. Mix well, then carefully spoon on top of toasted baguette slices.

You'll almost forget you're not eating tuna poke!