There's no beef in Beefsteak

A ripe Beefsteak tomato makes an incredible burger

People. I have to tell you something, maybe you already know. I love tomatoes. Tiny, bright cherry tomatoes…big, juicy heirlooms…in a salad, in a sauce, blended into gazpacho. Red, yellow, green, orange, purple, a whole rainbow of tomatoes. From my backyard, from the farmers market, from a neighbor’s garden. I love talking about (and dancing with!) tomatoes with friends like Waffles & Mochi. Tomatoes can even be used as a tool of diplomacy!

In Spain we have a festival that celebrates tomato season, the heat of summer when the tomatoes hang big and ripe off the vine. This is called Tomatina, and the people of the city of Buñol have a huge tomato fight. Every year, we celebrate Tomatina at our Jaleo restaurants with special tapas: crab salad with heirloom tomatoes and crumbled olives, fried heirloom tomatoes with saffron aioli, and grilled hanger steak with big juicy heirlooms. If you’re in the neighborhood of a Jaleo, make a reservation and celebrate Tomatina with us!

Well friends, today is Tomatina in Buñol! So to celebrate, instead of throwing tomatoes, what if we turn them into big, delicious burgers? You know that I love a burger (the Txuleburger, if you didn’t know, is now available in New York at Mercado Little Spain, in Washington DC at The Bazaar, in Los Angeles at Agua Viva, and at Bar Mar in Chicago.

But do you want to know one of my very favorite things to do with tomatoes? Turn them into a tasty, amazing burger, maybe one of the best burgers in the world, with or without meat!

This is the famous Beefsteak Burger, which we serve at my vegetable “fast good” restaurant Beefsteak in Washington, DC. When you get it there (only in the summertime, when the tomatoes are perfect!) it’s a big thick slice of Beefsteak tomato (get it?) with avocado, pickled red onions, alfalfa sprouts, and a big spread of vegan caper mayo, all in between an olive oil roll. It’s so, so good. But for you, my friends—even if you can’t make it to Beefsteak, you can make the burger yourself at home! Give it a try and tell me what you think…

Beefsteak Burger