We’re taking advantage of the last gasps of warm(ish)
weather to post our favorite tomato preparation. Though this salad has a few
more ingredients than your basic Italian insalata
Caprese, the idea is the same: buy the best tomatoes you can—heavy with juice and ripe to the point of softness—and add only
what you need to emphasize their incomparable flavor. The only thing better
than the taste of an heirloom tomato salad might be the appearance: a
cornucopia of sizes, textures, and colors, like little postcards from summer.
A lot of tomato salad recipes focus on limiting the amount
of liquid that gets into the dish, but we take the opposite approach. Dress the
tomatoes about 10 or 15 minutes before serving, let their juices collect at the
bottom of the mixing bowl, and ladle a little over each portion of tomatoes at
the table. The liquid is ineffable—a shot of pure tomato flavor to tide you
over until next summer.
Macerated Heirloom Tomato Salad
Cooking Time
20 minutes
Serves
4–6 summer eulogists
Tools
Chef's knife
Paring knife
Cutting board
Mixing bowl
Ingredients
2 lbs. assorted heirloom tomatoes
1 small shallot, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Black pepper
1 small handful scallion greens or chives, very thinly sliced
1 large handful basil, picked from stems and cut into a fine chiffonade (reserve a few small, pretty leaves for garnish)
Steps
1. Cut tomatoes into large wedges, varying sizes slightly to create visual contrast. Using the tip of a paring knife, remove any remnants of the tough core from each wedge.
2. Combine tomatoes, shallot, vinegar, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste in mixing bowl. Gently toss to coat tomatoes with dressing. Let macerate at room temperature until a substantial amount of tomato liquid has accumulated at bottom of bowl, 10–15 minutes.
3. Carefully toss tomatoes with scallion greens and sliced basil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in small bowls, garnished with reserved basil leaves and drizzled generously with tomato liquid.
I LOVE tomato salads during summer. Found heirloom tomatoes at Ralphs for 1.99/lb a month ago. Beautiful!
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