When I picked up some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes at my local greengrocer I knew immediately I wanted to make a Heirloom Tomato Salad with them.
Some ingredients are best enjoyed simply, and this is certainly true of tomatoes in my opinion, especially heirloom tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes lack a genetic mutation that is present in common tomatoes that provide that uniform red colour we are so familiar with, but the lack of this mutation is of benefit to the tomatoes though in that it imparts a sweeter and more of a true tomato taste.
Amazingly heirloom tomatoes come in over 4,000 different varieties. Yes, 4,000! And come in yellow, brown, red, green, purple and also come in a mixture of these colours, making them especially beautiful.
My heirloom tomato salad is a combination of chopped and sliced tomatoes, bocconcini, basil, toasted croutons and a simple dressing. While I made the salad for 1, for my lunch today, you can easily multiply the ingredients to make a larger salad to share.
So tell me, what is your favourite way to enjoy tomatoes?
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 slice of bread roughly torn into bite size pies
- 1 tbs good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp dijon mustard
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 200 g heirloom tomatoes 8 oz
- 1/4 cup small basil leaves
- 1 - 2 bocconcini balls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 celsius (350 Fahrenheit) and toss the bread in a bowl with 1 tsp of the olive oil. Mix to combine and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Set aside to cool.
- To make the dressing combine the remaining oil, mustard, sea salt, pepper and white wine vinegar in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Slice the tomatoes, or if you have cherry tomatoes, quarter, and arrange on a plate. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Tear the bocconcini and scatter over the tomatoes. Scatter with basil leaves and the cooled croutons. Drizzle with the dressing and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
