A colourful tomato salad, simple enough for family dinners but fancy enough for company!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Resting Time15 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Salad
Cost: $7
Ingredients
2-3lbsheirloom tomatoes, mixed colours, sizes, and shapes
¾tspsalt
1clovegarlic
2tbspolive oil, extra-virgin
1tbspbalsamic vinegar
½tsphoney
1tbspbasil (dried or fresh)
pepper, to taste
Instructions
Chop the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place tomatoes into a colander sitting over a bowl, and sprinkle with salt. Give the tomatoes a gentle shake to mix the salt around. The salt will draw the moisture out of the tomatoes and drain away. Your salad will not taste too salty!
Let sit for 15 minutes; then discard any juice that comes out of the tomatoes.
In the meantime, peel and crush the garlic in a garlic press, or chop finely. I like to make my salad dressing in an old jam jar, so I can give it a good shake to mix the oil and vinegar, but you can also blend it in a bowl.
Add the oil, balsamic vinegar and honey to the garlic, and mix thoroughly. The honey is an emulsifier that will help keep your vinaigrette from separating. It also adds a nice touch of sweetness to counterbalance the acidic vinegar and tomatoes.
Try a little taste of the salad dressing an adjust as desired. I like mine with lots of balsamic vinegar.
Give the tomatoes a gentle shake to get out any remaining juice. Then place the tomatoes into the salad bowl, from the colander. Sprinkle with the basil. If you're using fresh basil, you should double the amount to 2 tbsp.
Pour the salad dressing over top and toss to blend. Add pepper to taste.