Attack of the killer (heirloom) tomatoes

Tomatoes weren’t always this confusing: hydroponic, GMOs, vine-ripened—not to mention hundreds of varieties of heirlooms (old varieties whose seeds have been passed down for generations). Just ask BOKA chef Giuseppe Scurato. “I remember ten years ago when tomatoes were something that no one really cared about,” he says. Apparently now they do, and with area chefs demanding the best and most interesting of the lot, farmers are stepping up with beautiful heirlooms of all shapes and sizes. Lula Café sells sides of various tomatoes, simply dressed. Vie preserves the best to use throughout the year. At Naha, pictures of a dozen heirloom tomatoes are posted for the waitstaff to memorize. Here’s a primer of five chef favorites and where you can buy them for yourself.

1 Striped German
This heirloom is a riotously multicolored tomato: Yellow with streaks of red and pink on the inside and out, it looks like a sunset when sliced. “It’s an amazing big and fleshy variety,” says Susan Goss of West Town Tavern. Like many chefs working with heirlooms, she prefers not to cook them, although she’ll sometimes puree them for their fluffy texture. “They have a creaminess to them,” she says. Otherwise, she leaves the fruity and sweet flavor alone, featuring the tomatoes in salads or on cheese plates. Get them from Iron Creek’s stand at Green City Market (Lincoln Park between Clark St and Stockton Dr; Wed, Sat 7am–1:30pm).

2 Brandywine
When heirloom tomatoes first became popular, brandywine was the breakout star, and many chefs still rely on it for its deep flavor and color. “It’s very intense. A slice of brandywine can be six inches across,” says Carrie Nahabedian, the chef at Naha. She uses brandywines juiced in Bloody Marys and in a shellfish gazpacho with lobster and blue crab, but with a good tomato, you don’t need to be a world-class chef to maximize its flavor. “It doesn’t need much—a little herbs and olive oil, and everything bursts right out.” Get them from Growing Home’s stand at Hyde Park Farmers’ Market (52nd Pl at Harper Ave; Thu 7am–2pm) or Green City Market (Sat only).

3 Kellogg’s Breakfast
Every restaurant in town has an heirloom-tomato salad, but how many have an heirloom-tomato sorbet? At May Street Market, chef Alexander Cheswick turns the whimsically named Kellogg’s Breakfast tomato (the seed was saved from extinction by a man with the surname Kellogg) into scoops of golden sorbet and serves them with a salad made from other heirlooms. The large orange tomato has a terrific sweetness and the perfect consistency for sorbet, Cheswick says. He adds a bit of sugar and nothing else. Get them from Kinnikinnick Farm’s stand at Green City Market or Evanston Farmers’ Market (University Pl and Oak Ave; Sat 7:30am–1pm).

4 Green Zebra
Not technically an heirloom, green zebra was bred by an heirloom-tomato collector 20 years ago. It caught on immediately, and it isn’t a mystery why: Pale green with bright green stripes, the tomato’s famously striking. It’s a favorite of Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and local chef Shawn McClain even named his vegetarian restaurant after it. At Green Zebra, McClain uses the namesake tomato for soup, as the tomato’s green flesh makes for an unusually colored concoction—something several restaurants have picked up on. Last year, Lula Café chef Jason Hammel pureed them with sorrel, and added a dose of cream and a clump of Maine crab. Get them from Tomato Mountain’s stand at Green City Market.

5 Matt’s Wild Cherry
At Topolobampo and Frontera Grill, plates and salads are garnished with clusters of this tiny cherry tomato that’s originally from, appropriately enough, Mexico. The prolific cherry grows wild in Hidalgo, where the fruit has been cultivated since the 16th century. “Literally the tomatoes are a little larger than the eraser on a pencil,” says Brian Enyart, the managing chef. “It has a superconcentrated tomato flavor.” Get them from City Farm (1240 N Clybourn Ave at Division St; Tue, Thu 3–7pm; Sat 9am–1pm).