When we got home, not only were we greeted with a whopper of a zucchini, but also 7 tomato plants that were bursting with gorgeous tomatoes. Home-grown tomatoes are a bit like crack. One bite is simply not enough....nor is one tomato. I have a tendency to overdo it when it comes to tomatoes and often the roof of my mouth ends up raw and peeling from all the acid. But so much pleasure comes from the pain.
If there is a better way to use up fresh tomatoes than this incredibly simple salad, I haven't found it. It's kind of like a Caprese salad, but so much more. The light vinaigrette combined with the tomato juices makes it explode with flavor. And the cheese...well, the cheese is just divine. If you add in some olive oil and garlic-rubbed, grilled sourdough bread, it would be a complete meal in and of itself. We had it for dinner two nights in a row. Quiet honestly, I could probably eat this every day until the end of time....
Jamie Oliver's Awesome Tomato Salad
This recipe is so easy to make, and so easy to eat. For a lovely, rustic look use all different kinds of heirloom tomatoes, some sliced, some quartered or halved.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Yield: serves 4 (or two piggies like us)
Ingredients:
2 pounds of mixed heirloom tomatoes
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup best extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, grated
pinch of dried oregano
1 ball or log of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 teaspoon of fresh spicy red or green chile (seeded and de-veined)
sea salt and pepper, to taste
handful of basil leaves, torn into smallish pieces
Preparation:
1. Cut the tomatoes into halves, quarters or slices, depending on the size and place in a colander over a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss with your hands. Let drain for 15 minutes to concentrate the tomato flavors.
2. Meanwhile whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and oregano in a small bowl.
3. Slice the mozzarella and place on one side of a medium platter. Arrange the tomatoes next to the cheese. Drizzle the cheese and tomatoes with the dressing and sprinkle salt and pepper over the cheese. Sprinkle the minced chile and the torn basil over the top of the platter and serve immediately.
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1 comment:
Your tomatoes are beautiful! Here on Cape Cod, the Farmer and I are still making do with the cherry tomatoes - and eating others from farm stands. Sadly, my two that were ripe suffered from blossom end rot.
However, the garden has a bounty of green tomatoes and with all this hot and sunny weather, you'd think they would be just falling off the vines. I can see lots of Caprese salads in my future. That salad is also one of my favorites - but I have yet to try it with the red or green chiles - which look like dried fom the photos. (I did just pick my first fresh green chile from the garden, but I'll make some salsa with that....) Sounds good. And, I loved the look of all the different tomatoes combined.
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