Mom's Icebox Tomatoes from the Publican Restaurant in Chicago

We harvested our tomatoes the other day and I decided to try this recipe.  I wanted to make it while our guests were here but then we picked blackberries and I decided to use my time to make blackberry bread, crisp and coffee cake. (Our guests were happy about that decision if I judge by how fast it was all  eaten).  So, my tomatoes were piling up.  They gave me a new cookbook as a gift for hosting them and I was eager to try some recipes from it.  I spotted this one immediately.  The cookbook is entitled Cheers to the Publican, Repast and Present Recipes and Ramblings from an American Beer Hall by Paul Kahan, Chef Cosmo Goss and Rachel Holtzman.  

The Publican is a popular restaurant in Chicago where our guests live.  It's described as a big American beer hall with massive communal tables.  I love those kind of restaurants.  There are lots of stories with the recipes in the book which makes the cookbook fun to read. The story that goes with this recipe is about the author's mom - not my mom, just so you know.  The story goes "During tomato season, my mom would always slice up beefsteak tomatoes and marinate them in red wine vinegar, olive oil, thyme, white onion, salt and pepper.  She'd keep them in the fridge just like that, and we'd go in there and yank 'em out.  Maybe grab a slice of bologna, too, toast up some white bread, and put a tomato on top.  Now you'll see these on our menu, which we particularly like with burrata.  The tomatoes will keep for a couple of days in the fridge, then they will get a little soggy.  Still good, but soggy."  

I would make sure you use super sweet tomatoes for this recipe.  The author talks about this and says even if you have to pay twice as much for your tomatoes, it's worth it.  Our garden tomatoes are indeed super sweet!  I threw in a heirloom tomato (the orange one) for looks.  Our local grocery store sells them for over $7/lb. but they aren't as sweet as our garden tomatoes but they are visually very pretty.  Anyway, the heirloom are very sweet, just not as sweet as home grown.  I also used our local Walla Walla Sweets onion as the recipe calls for a white onion.  It's a super easy recipe, just layered tomatoes and onion with some thyme, red wine vinegar and olive oil.  Done. It's perfect for this time of year.  Got tomatoes spilling out of your garden?  This recipe will take care of it.  

Makes 4 servings

1/2 white onion, julienned (I used a Walla Walla Sweet onion)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
sugar (optional)
4 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I used all the tomatoes from our garden)

1.  In a large bowl, mix together the onion, olive oil, vinegar, and thyme.  

2.  Add a pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper.  If the tomatoes aren't at peak season, you might want to add a pinch of sugar, too.

3.  Make a single layer of tomato slices in the bottom of a shallow dish or pan and pour over some of the marinade.  Make a new layer  of tomatoes and repeat until you've used up all the tomatoes and marinade.   

4.  Chill before serving.  This is a good "make ahead" dish since it tastes really good as it sits and marinates.  The tomatoes will last in the fridge for about 1-1/2 days before they start to break down.