Tim Stark's suggestions
for enjoying tomatoes
all summer long:
A variety of medium-size
tomatoes works well for this--
green zebra, purple Calabash,
peach. Throw in some cherry
tomatoes, like Sun Gold. The
color combination adds a pizzazz
that enhances the flavors.
In a Summer
Tomato Sandwich
Big, fat slices of Brandywine,
Cherokee Purple, striped German,
or Aunt Ruby's German Green--
the fatter the slices, the more
those sultry, sun-warmed flavors
drip down over your chin!
Tossed Into a Simple Salad
Cherokee Purple is chock-full
of these greenish seed-gel
sacks that ooze over the lettuce
and combine with any olive
oil-based salad dressing to
deliver a mouthful of summer
with every bite.
On Their Own
In early summer, Azoychka,
Cherokee Purple, and Aunt
Ruby's German Green are hard
to beat. Come late August
and early September, yellow
Brandywine and striped German
are positively scrumptious. Sun
Gold and sweet Chelsea cherry
tomatoes are always great for
popping in the mouth.
They are like nature's popcorn!
CERRY TOMATO AND WAX BEAN SALAD
Ingredients :1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
1 tbs chopped fresh oregano leaves
3/4 tsp salt
12 oz mixed yellow and green wax beans, stems removed
3 tbs red wine vinegar
4 oz extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD1. In a bowl, mix cherry tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt, toss, and let sit at least 1 hour.
2. Cook beans in lightly salted water for 2 minutes; plunge in ice water for 2 more minutes to stop the cooking, and drain. Place in refrigerator until needed.
3. On cutting board, mix oregano with remaining salt and finely
chop.
4. Mix oregano with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil. Let sit for 1 hour.
5. Using a slotted spoon, place cherry tomatoes in another bowl, reserving the juice. Combine tomatoes with the oregano mixture, and season with pepper.
6. Mix tomato juice with remaining oil and vinegar, add beans, season with salt and pepper, and toss.
7. Separate beans onto 4 chilled plates. Pour reserved tomato liquid over the beans, topping each plate with the tomatoes.
8. Serve with shaved Parmesan, pecorino, or dry Monterrey jack cheese.
The mood is festive, despite the fact that not one bottle of wine has been uncorked ... yet. But then, talking wine with Aaron von Rock and Jimmy Nicholas is intoxicating enough on its own.
"I've never wanted to reveal the real reason why I do this for a living," says Aaron, "because the
secret is simply how much fun it is!"
Making The List
13
Nicholas is quick to agree, adding that the motivation
for supplementing Telepan's extensive wine list
with bottles from his private collection came with
the understanding that he would never be able to
consume them all on his own. "I just wasn't drinking
at a fast enough pace!" says Jimmy. Aaron confides
that before Telepan, Jimmy was actually one of his
best customers. Together, they pool their knowledge
and passion to create wine choices for guests that
are both an expression of their zeal for the craft of
winemaking and a complement to Bill Telepan's
cuisine.
The List
In his hands, Aaron holds three updated pages of
the current wine list, which, he explains, is always
a work in progress; it changes almost daily. "Jimmy's
cellar and my predilections create the pillars of the
list, and we continually fill in the gaps from there."
Aaron's no stranger to the wine industry; his mother
was a winemaker herself. He immersed himself in
the world of wine when he was barely of age to pop
a cork. Today, in addition to his role at Telepan, he
consults private clients in developing their cellars.
He might be soft-spoken, but Aaron's knowledge on
viniculture speaks volumes. He is clearly enamored
with the whole process, from meeting the vintner
to matchmaking the bottle and guest: "Winemakers
are intrinsically remarkably generous people," he
explains. "They try to make joy for people they have
never met. My job is to diminish the distance between
the winemaker and the consumer."
Leafing through the wine list, he stops to point
out a couple of quick-read pages. While its depth is
designed to intrigue wine aficionados (more than
100 wines are not even listed), Aaron is careful to
make Telepan's wine list inviting and comfortable
for every level of wine drinker. There is one short
page that explores only wines best paired with
seasonal foods, and a flexible red-wine page at
the end matches pinot noirs and Burgundies in
particular with an assortment of dishes. "This page,
appropriately titled The Last Sip, is a direct response
to fielding nightly questions from guests who ask for
a wine that will accommodate all the dishes at their
table." Von Rock is also always eager to volunteer his
own services: "Choosing a wine can be intimidating,
and diners should never be afraid to ask for help from
their sommelier--that's what we're here for!"
the collection
"When I first started my personal wine collection, I
couldn't afford Bordeaux and I didn't know enough
about Burgundy," Jimmy admits. "I began by buying
what I liked, and I always suggest that beginning
collectors do the same at dinner. Start with a flavor
profile you're familiar with and, from there, keep an
open mind."
Growing up in an Italian family, with wine on the
table at every dinner, a passion for food extended
naturally into curiosity about wine. Jimmy's
collection began to grow markedly in certain areas.
"I spend time in Italy every year and through friends
was able to get my hands on wines I couldn't get here
in the United States. A good year for Italian wines
was 1997, so I began storing those away. Likewise,
1997 was an extraordinary year for California wines,
so I started collecting those too." He supplemented
his limited wine knowledge with classes that gave
him a deeper understanding about varietals and
food pairing. Today, Jimmy is lucky to find himself on
some of the most exclusive wine mailing lists that
give him access to sought-after bottles.
