Summer Tomato Salad
The fastest salad possible is sliced summer tomatoes topped with a few
torn leaves of fresh basil. ft's sheer indulgence to put slices of
fresh mozzarella between the slices of tomato, but is delicious, and
makes for a beautiful, impressive platter that only took you moments to
make.
Only make this when you have the freshest, ripest summer tomatoes, not
the pale, hard tomatoes of winter. Use any kind you have, but my
favorite is big slices of juicy beefsteak tomato. if you can, buy fresh
mozzarella, the soft white kind, not the firm yellow kind that comes
packaged in plastic. Otherwise, leave it out. The salad is still good.
Serves 4
-
3 to 4 large ripe tomatoes
-
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
-
Handful of fresh basil leaves
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1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or red
wine vinegar)
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-
Core the tomatoes and slice them thickly,
Place on a large serving platter. Slice the mozzarella and distribute
the pieces among the tomato slices.
-
Tear the basil leaves off their stems and
scatter them over the tomatoes. Drizzle the platter with olive oil and
vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.
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