Salt and sugar cured tomatoes with thyme and fried pistachios

The inspiration for this recipe comes from “Prune”, a cookbook by Gabrielle Hamilton, owner of the same name restaurant in New York. The original recipe calls for green, unripe tomatoes – something I am not likely to find at my corner green grocer in Paris – however, I love how this simple preparation brings out the full flavor of the firm, almost ripe, heirloom varieties – Green Zebras, the darker Krims (Noire de Crimée) and the large beefsteaks tomatoes (Coeur de beouf) that are starting to appear in the market with the arrival of the warmer weather.

The orange flower water sprinkled on the tomatoes just before serving is a Mediterranean touch and adds an exotic, herbal fragrance.  Careful, it only takes a drop or two, a little goes a long way.  Orange flower water along with the raw, green pistachios needed for this recipe can be found in most upmarket food stores or stores selling middle eastern ingredients.

This is just one of many fabulous recipes from this quirky, creative cookbook – a great resource for ideas.