Alaska News

Kim Sunée: Simple preparation brings out the best in flavorful Alaska tomatoes

This past Labor Day weekend at the farmers market, with the cooler, crisper air and alarming number of leaves on the ground, I found myself a little melancholic about having to soon bid farewell to the growers and their gorgeous displays of hard-earned produce.

But with our markets still brimming with everything from sweet, rainbow-hued carrots and sugar snap peas to green beans, potatoes and even tomatoes, I thought this would be a good week to celebrate the hard work of our farmers.

Enter John McNeal of Alaska Sweet Water Farm, who served 22 years on the Wasilla police force before his career took a somewhat unexpected turn. "I saw my retirement on the horizon a few years ago, but instead of taking another government job, I realized I wanted to be my own boss," he said.

His entrepreneurial spirit was paired with a love of gardening, and McNeal scouted local farmers markets to settle on what was lacking: a solid, Alaska soil-grown tomato with flavor -- emphasis on "flavor." (When I first moved here, I was warned I wouldn't be able to find a decent tomato. There's even a Tumblr feed dedicated to shameful local tomato poseurs: tomatoshaming.tumblr.com.)

"Last year, my daughter-in-law, Julia, and I did cut flowers," McNeal says. "But it makes more sense to grow food. As a policeman, I was out and about and really grasped how little food we have on the shelves and how vulnerable we are in this state."

As dedicated as he was to his former job, McNeal assures me tomato farming is a happier place: "No one ever called me (while on the police force) to say, 'Hey John, I had a good day!' It was always about someone being robbed or swindled in some way. But now, people take the time to simply say, 'Hey, thanks for the beautiful tomato.'"

McNeal currently offers 18 heirloom varieties, all soil-grown, using homemade fertilizer and compost. His favorite variety is the Black Crim, for its "complex sugar and acid balance." As for how he savors them, he says he's a "snacker and not much of a cook." Granted, with tomatoes this good, not much adornment is necessary, just a bit of good finishing salt and a drizzle of peppery extra-virgin olive oil. Or, as I've done here, you can simply roast them with other local vegetables to bring out their natural sweetness.

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McNeal is hopeful that he'll be able to offer tomatoes through October at the South Anchorage Saturday market. Stay on top of the tomato on the Alaska Sweet Water Farm Facebook page.

Late-summer zucchini and tomato gratin

Makes 4 servings

1 pound firm ripe tomatoes, preferably heirloom

Salt, to taste

3/4 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini

1 medium yellow or purple onion

Extra-virgin olive oil

6 to 8 cloves garlic, crushed or whole

Fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (or dried basil, thyme, or oregano)

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Optional garnishes: Dollop with black olive tapenade or Italian salsa verde

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Slice tomatoes into slices about 1 inch thick and spread on a double layer of paper towels. Sprinkle evenly with a little salt and let drain while preparing the other vegetables. Cut zucchini in rounds about 3/4 inch thick and set aside. Cut onion in half and cut into half moons (about the same thickness as the zucchini); set aside. Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of an oven-proof dish. Stand tomatoes and zucchini and onion in a circular pattern, alternating vegetables. Note: Cut tomatoes in half, as needed, to fit. Place vegetables snugly in the dish, as they will shrink in the oven. Tuck garlic cloves throughout. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence.

3. Bake for 25 minutes. If desired, after 25 minutes, top with grated cheese. Bake another 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and golden brown around the edges. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. This is good served warm or at room temperature.

Kim Sunée is the best-selling author of "Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home." She ate and lived in Europe for 10 years before working as a food editor for Southern Living magazine and Cottage Living magazine. Sunée has appeared several times as a guest judge on Food Network's "Iron Chef America." She lives in Anchorage, and her latest cookbook is "A Mouthful of Stars." For more food and travel, visit kimsunee.com or instagram.com/kimsunee.

Kim Sunée

Kim Sunée is a bestselling author ("Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home," "A Mouthful of Stars," "Everyday Korean: Fresh, Modern Recipes for Home Cooks") and a former magazine food editor. She's based in Anchorage. For more food and travel, visit instagram.com/kimsunee.

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