Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Variable Tomato Salad (and my plastic wrap fetish)

This is one of my favourite standbys. At it's core, it's a simple tomato salad. The green onions, bell pepper and cucumbers are optional; the basil is not. I typically make this during summer when everything is in season, but I'm not adverse to making this in bleakest winter with excellent vine-ripened tomatoes.

The proportions aren't important in this recipe; suit your taste.

Tomatoes, cut in eights (sixteenths if they're huge summer beefsteaks)
Fresh basil leaves (torn, not cut)
Sliced green onions
Sliced bell pepper
Diced cucumber
Olive oil & red wine vinegar (2:1 ratio)
Finely minced garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Put the tomatoes, basil, and vegetables of your choice into a bowl. Combine the oil, vinegar, garlic and salt & pepper in a separate bowl, mix, and pour over tomatoes. Toss well and serve, or cover and refrigerate for a few hours (making sure to take the salad out of the fridge half an hour before you eat).


I have something to confess.  It is humanly impossible for me not to stretch plastic wrap over a bowl until it is absolutely wrinkle-free and almost invisible (as per photo above).  I have been known to spend upwards of a minute trying to get it absolutely perfect.  My efforts have garnered strange looks from friends and family, particularly my brother.  I don't know where this fetish came from, or when it reared it's head.  I've tried to quit it, but I'm hopelessly hooked.  Just wanted you to know.

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