Vintage Tomato Dreams for September

I was thinking about what I love about September, and what came to mind was the abundance of tomatoes. While others might name pumpkin-spice everything returning or apple salads and desserts, for me it’s tomatoes. 

In my microclimate, we wait all June and July and most of August to taste the slightly tangy-slightly sweet, red-orange flesh of those juicy fruits.

You know I’m obsessed with pumpkins. What you don’t know is I’m obsessed with tomatoes, as well. By about August 1, I have counted all of the tomatoes growing at least a dozen times. By the last week of August, not only have I counted the growing ones, but I also know the number and location on each plant of the ripening ones.

Here we are, last week of August, and the bushes are loaded. I’m far from an expert gardener. I find myself surprised when something does well in the garden. I have no idea what I did right this year. All I know is the tomato plants are happy.

So September means lots of tomato-focused meals for me and my family. I’ll also share some of the bounty with a couple of neighbors who would appreciate a few.

Today, I wanted to share a WW2 era recipe for stuffed tomatoes. The specific recipe comes from one of my cook booklets, Hurry Up Meals, dated 1943. It’s simply titled Stuffed Tomato Slices.

I’ve made this for the last several years to rave reviews from my family. Here's the recipe:

3 tablespoons chopped onions
2 tablespoons butter or margarine 
3cups soft bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped crisp bacon
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
4 ripe tomatoes

Sauté onion in butter until delicately browned. Add crumbs, chopped bacon, seasonings and egg; mix well. 

Remove stems from ends of tomatoes and cut in halves. Place a spoonful of dressing on the cut-side of the tomato slices [halves]. Place in greased baking dish; bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F)  20-25 minutes. 

Serve with Creamy Chicken Sauce or Cheese Sauce.

Creamy Chicken Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 can condensed chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and cook until frothy. Add soup and milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/2 cup grated American cheese

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and stir until smooth paste is formed. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly, and cook and stir until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Add cheese and stir until melted. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

So that’s how the recipes were written. Obviously, a yummier chicken sauce could be made using homemade chicken stock and milk or cream plus butter, flour and seasonings. I make a cheese sauce, swapping Cheddar for the American cheese.

I make these as a side dish to a meal of leftover roast chicken or with a weekend brunch on Labor Day. So tasty!

Now tell me, what do you love about September?