My feelings on food could probably be summed up with the idea that food picked at the height of ripeness in the right season does not need a lot of "messing around" with it to make it taste amazing. Hence, my current preoccupation with tomatoes. Here in eastern Washington, we have such a short tomato season, and must endure pasty, flavorless, shelf stable tomatoes for so long in the year, that I just want to gorge on them when they are at their best. This week, along with the tomato soup from the previous entry, I made two simple tomato salads of note. Make sure you use the most flavorful tomatoes you can find. Enjoy!
Tomato and Basil Salad with Lavender Salt by Joie de vivre (pictured above)
(earlier in the season when lavender was in bloom, I dehydrated some and added the blossoms one to one with course salt.)
1-2 Tomatoes
10-12 Basil leaves
Olive Oil
Lavender salt.
Cut your tomatoes into slices and arrange nicely. Top with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with lavender salt. Voila! Instant summer goodness.
Tomato, Melon, Cucumber Salad by Joie de vivre
2 Tomatoes
Watermelon
1 Cucumber
4 oz. Soft goat cheese
3 Tbs. Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbs. Olive oil
Pinch of sugar
Salt
Pepper
Peel cucumber, cut in half, remove the seeds and slice. Slice tomatoes and watermelon (remove rind). Toss together in a bowl. Make a dressing by whisking together 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar, 1 Tbs. olive oil, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Sprinkle with goat cheese and eat immediately.
