EACH summer we wait impatiently for the local tomatoes to arrive and this summer they have made us wait longer than usual. A peculiar spring fraught with horticultural havoc -- drought followed by heavy rains followed by unseasonal cold followed by heat -- made everything late, and the harvests small.

It would be nice to say that the wait meant that the tomatoes are better than ever. They aren't. But they still are leagues ahead of anything you can get at any other time of year. A fresh, local summer tomato is the best tomato there is.

Local is the key word here. Smart merchandisers are now growing heirloom tomatoes in California and shipping them east. I would not say that these are bad tomatoes, just that they cannot compete -- they could never compete -- with products grown nearby, even in this less than stellar year.

How to use what harvest there is? You might pair tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil, or go outside the lines to try them with some crumbled fresh goat cheese or thin slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano, both equally delicious. The simplest salad, of course, is sliced tomatoes drizzled with fruity extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with basil. But although this is a brilliant match, the herb doesn't have to be basil. You can just as successfully use oregano or marjoram or cilantro or thyme or any combination thereof. One tablespoon of fresh oregano, incidentally, has more antioxidants than an entire apple, according to the Agriculture Department.

Speaking of which, tomatoes are loaded with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals like lycopene (which also gives the tomato its color). All are important for good health and possibly, as protection against various forms of cancer. Even the Atkins diet allows them!

Ask a chef for a summer tomato recipe, though, and he isn't likely to tell you about a topping of cheese or herbs. Chefs cook to surprise as much as to comfort -- and they like to show off besides. Still, as the recipes below show, the elegance of a restaurant's dish is absolutely within the reach of the home cook, again so long as the tomatoes are fresh and local.

Todd Gray's take on panzanella with cucumbers and niçoise olives, which he serves at Equinox, his excellent Washington restaurant, bears only passing resemblance to the Italian version. Indeed, save for its toasted and diced baguette and, of course, the tomato, there's little left of the original. It is no less perfect for the season for that.

And Anne Rosenzweig's tomatoes with figs and goat cheese, which she serves at Inside in New York, is an intriguing new way to look at the classic combination of acid and sweet.

Try both. You'll wonder where they've been all this time.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO PANZANELLA WITH CUCUMBER AND NIÇOISE OLIVES
Adapted from Equinox, Washington
Time: 15 minutes plus 30 minutes' resting

1 cup Kirby or English cucumber, cut in small dice
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
15 niçoise olives, pitted and chopped
1 cup of toasted bread cubes from a sourdough baguette or a loaf of herbed bread
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup basil, cut in thin strips, plus 4 basil tops or sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 dozen assorted cherry or teardrop tomatoes, halved lengthwise.

1. Combine cucumber, red onion, olives, bread cubes, vinegar, oil, basil strips, salt and pepper, and mix well. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

2. Spoon salad mix onto four salad plates, making a circle on each. Place tomato halves in center of each plate, and garnish with basil tops.

Yield: 4 servings.

TOMATO, FIG, GOAT CHEESE, BASIL AND OLIVE SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Adapted from Inside
Time: 15 minutes

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
6 large tomatoes, cut into small wedges
6 figs, cut into quarters
3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup calamata olives, pitted and sliced
Handful of basil, torn
4 cups frisée, broken into pieces
2 cups arugula, tough stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Put balsamic vinegar in a salad bowl, and whisk oil into it.

2. Toss remaining ingredients with dressing. Adjust seasoning and serve.

Yield: 8 servings as first course, 4 to 6 servings as main course.

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