One of the best things about late Summer and Fall is the crop of baby heirloom tomatoes that are so full of flavor and delciousness. Topped with this lemon vinaigrette dressing with a chiffonade of fresh basil, they are more than delicious, they are the taste of summer itself. Serve a crusty French baguette with this to mop up the dressing. Your family will thank for that.Ingredients:
2 cups of baby heirloom tomatoes washed and quartered
1 cup of baby spinach leaves washed and stemmed
½ cup of fresh basil leaves thinly sliced and cut into ribbons (chiffonade)
Basil Lemon Vinaigrette:
1 large shallot thinly sliced and minced
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves thinly cut and roughly chopped
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 large clove of garlic peeled and minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Combine the shallot, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, pepper and mustard in a small bowl and combine. Slowly add the olive oil stirring constantly until it is homogenized. Or you can put all of these ingredients in a small food processor and blend. Add the fresh cut basil leaves after the dressing is blended and set aside to let the flavors meld.
Toss the baby heirloom tomatoes with the vinaigrette and let them marinate for 15 to 20 minutes to absorb all the flavors. To serve, arrange the tomatoes on a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves, and scatter the chiffonade of fresh basil on the top.
I can still find heirloom tomatoes in the Farmer's Market and the baby spinach still looks good. There is something magical about the combination of tomatoes, garlic, lemon and basil that makes we wish the Summer crop of tomatoes could last all winter. There is nothing quite like the taste of fresh tomato picked off the vine.
ReplyDelete