heirloom tomatoes Archives - Good Food St. Louis

Looking onto the “botanical” patio at Olio.

Olio used to be a 1930’s-style gas station. Then Chef Ben Poremba got hold of it and turned the place into a trendy, small plate restaurant with a whimsical, outdoor patio on one side.

Come COVID, Ben made the front and side parking lots into more patio seating with well-spaced tables tucked away amongst plants, trees, bushes, and herbs. If the foliage was any thicker, you’d need a machete to get to the front door. There are even greenhouses to keep the plants through the winter months.

With a bevy of locations in his food fiefdom (Olio, Elaia, Nixta, Benevolent King, and AO&CO Curated Market and Cafe), I felt fortunate to have Chef Ben Poremba take time out to chat and introduce us to his wine selection.

A Rare Treat for St. Louis

As food lovers know, Yotam Ottolenghi, the Israeli-born British chef and cookbook writer is arguably the most influential chef in recent times. I drool over his cookbooks and my grandson, Austin, often cooks his recipes.

Fortunately, St. Louis has its own variation of Ottolenghi in the person of Chef Ben Poremba. With a degree in philosophy from UMSL, you’d think he’d be teaching or, at least, arguing some fine point of the Socratic method.

Instead, he’s become a culinary wizard. His small plate offerings are a medley of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods guaranteed to tantalize the taste buds and bring you back for more. Each dish has Ben’s signature hint of frivolity, what you might call the “Poremba Touch.”

“I Love the Theater of Cooking and Eating.” ~Chef Ben Poremba

Recently when I was at Olio along with six others, we ate in a private room in the basement of the refurbished gas station. It was charming! Or as Ben puts it: “The place is the cheapest ticket to Tel Aviv.” The space had the feel of an Old World wine-cellar: low ceiling, bare light bulbs, rustic table (but comfy chairs), painted rock walls, and a couple of small windows. The fanciful chef has shown he can turn any place into a dining realm, if given some vegetables, a stove top, and a few spices.

Breaking bread—literally. Pita bread, that is.

King of Kings Hummus with tahini, smoked paprika, and parsley.

Cottleville Peaches with labneh, peach jam, hot peppers, and almonds. Ben grew the fruit on his home peach tree.

Marinated Beets with whipped feta cheese and pistachio dukkah. (Dukkah is a mixture of herbs, nuts and spices.)

Compressed Melons, with feta, lime, and black olives.

Olio’s Famous Egg Salad with white anchovies.

Caponata with eggplant, tomato, onion, and agrodolce. (Agrodolce is a sweet and sour condiment)

Chicken Kefta with tahini, pickled onion, fire roasted tomatoes, pine nuts.

Baba Ganough, with kajmak, pistachies. (Kajmak is a creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream.)

Hawaij Spiced Cauliflower. (Hawaij is a variety of Yemen ground spices used in soups, vegetable dishes and as a dry rub.)

Local Heirloom Tomatoes with pickled onions, Zaatar, and basil. (Zaatar is a spice mixture that includes sesame seeds and dried sumac.)

“I aim to create food that takes you somewhere. Either somewhere familiar that invokes memories, or to a place you’ve never been.“ ~ Chef Ben Poremba

Olio: 1634 Tower Grove Ave; Open: Daily from 11a-10p. Dine in and carryout. Menu.

When Tomatoes Were Mere Decorative Baubles

Did you know our ancestors were not all that enthusiastic about tomatoes? Sixteenth century Europeans grew the small, yellowish orbs in their gardens as ornamental plants after the Spanish brought them back from Central and South America.

A writer in 1585 said tomatoes were edible if sprinkled with salt, pepper and oil, but he didn’t recommend it, since the fruit was “bad nourishment.”

A Long and Luscious History

The first tomato recipes were published in Naples in 1692, though tomatoes were still considered an avant garde ingredient. The simple directions are much like some in our cookbooks: roast the tomatoes in embers and skin. Add onions, chili pepper, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

Fifty years later cooks added parsley and garlic to tomatoes, getting the recipe closer to the pasta sauce we know today. By the 18^th century residents of Naples and Tuscany started pairing tomatoes with bread, placing them atop bruschetta. The tomato sandwich was born!

How to Make a Tomato Sandwich

Harriet would prefer her Tomato Sandwich on Wonder Bread rather than on rustic, artisan slices such as these.

The No-Recipe Recipe

Giving instructions for a Tomato Sandwich are like giving recipes for Peanut Butter and Jelly or Grilled Cheese sandwiches. The name should say it all.

Actually, there’s a few secrets to the proper Tomato Sandwich worth mentioning: (1) salting the tomato and letting them sit for at least 5 minutes to prevent sogginess, and (2) using real mayo.

Tomato Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 to 3 heirloom tomatoes preferred, but others will do

Salt

Hellman’s mayonnaise or Low-Fat (not the no-fat salad dressing) or Duke’s mayonnaise, if you’re a Southerner

White bread, if you’re a purist, otherwise bread of choice

Black pepper

Heirloom tomatoes

Directions:

Slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a layer of paper towels. Sprinkle tomatoes with a bit of salt and let sit and drain for 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, slather the bread with mayonnaise—on both sides.

Place a few slices of tomatoes on bread and sprinkle with black pepper. Top with another slice of bread and cut in half.

(Note: Cartoon savant Lucy Van Pelt, says sandwiches should never be cut. They should be folded to prevent the flavor from falling out. You are warned.)