STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- This precious moment comes but once a year in our neck of the woods -- when a tomato picked from the vine is still warmed from the sun. Perfectly ripe and juicy, plucked from those peppery-scented leaves this bit of goodness deserves nothing but the best. So, take advantage of its classic beauty and dress it well -- but simply.

Vinny Gerardi at Gerardis Farmers Market in New Brighton says the Jersey crop will be ready by the end of this week. In the refrigerators at his familys farm stand are containers of fresh burrata cheese for that day of arrival.

Our garden delivered its first cherry versions born the on Fourth of July. We served those few with a bit of truffle oil and ground black pepper.

Soon the St. George Greenmarket and the Greenmarket at the Staten Island Mall will feature a riot of sunny nightshades. If you strike heirlooms just right then horizontal slices can yield splashes of orange or green. These varietals are just too pretty to do much more than add a few basil leaves, a hunk of supple, fresh mozzarella -- possibly still warm -- from pretty much any borough pork store, salumeria or grocer pulling the cheese from scratch.

- Fresh yellow tomatoes and mozzarella with basil makes a yummy summer appetizer. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Si

Cherry tomatoes are sensational with goat cheese. Although just fine left in a solid state, its worth the effort to halve or quarter them. That way the toms tangy juices mingled with a little brine from olives (plus the olives themselves) or feta crumbles combine beautifully with fresh herbs like oregano or lemon thyme.

Cherry tomatoes, baby! (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Si

Vinegar and lemon juice will cook the tomato a bit and detract from its natural sweetness. The resulting tang can be an arguably unpalatable effect, depending on your tolerance for tart.

On another note, a fine way to coax the sugars from our celebrated fruit is to roast them whole in a casserole dish at 300 degrees for about one hour in a good coating of vegetable or olive oil. Sprinkle that preparation with a little salt, finely chopped rosemary, the whole herb sprigs themselves and/or a few unpeeled garlic cloves or the whole head of garlic itself. Give the casserole a shake a few times while they blister in the heat. You can squeeze out the contents of the garlic cloves onto Italian bread slices -- use it like butter -- if the garlic is left tender after roasting.

Those roasted tomatoes make a nice side for roast pork or smoky barbecued ribs, smashed onto a Martins potato bun in lieu of ketchup on a burger or used instead of sauce over a modified eggplant parm.

Burrata cheese with roasted tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and pesto from Pastavino at Urby in Stapleton (Staten Island Advance/ Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

The takeaway from our annual gift from the garden or local farms: dont overthink the Solanum lycopersicum at the peak of summer. Its really the only time of the year when a tomato tastes just like a tomato.

Have a recipe or garden photos to share? Tell us your town and send them on over to silvestri@siadvance.com or through @stateneats on Instagram.

Go here to see the original:

Look out, Staten Island! Here come the killer tomatoes - SILive.com