Summertime tomato salad

I love tomatoes, and love that Charles and I both take great pride in our tomato crops. So much so that in the summer it became our ritual on Friday nights after work to go and pick fresh tomatoes out of our garden, and we would then go and make a fresh salad with the bounty. On one such Friday night, we were out picking tomatoes and Charles told me that he thought there was a ripe Cherokee purple tomato around the corner . . . and there were several, along with a beautiful engagement ring. Whether it’s an engagement ring, or some of the ripe tomatoes from our 15+ varieties in the garden, I love going out to our garden and seeing what treasures await! Tomatoes prepared in their most natural state—like in this recipe, sliced up with some fresh basil from the garden—is indeed our definition of summertime on a plate and is what this recipe is all about!

1–2 pounds (½–1 kg) assorted fresh tomatoes, sliced into wedges
½ cup (12 g) fresh basil, chopped

For the vinaigrette

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
~ fresh cracked pepper to taste

1. Place sliced tomatoes and basil onto a platter or in a large bowl.
2. In a Magic Bullet or other mini-chopper, combine the balsamic and garlic, and then add in the olive oil. You can also just whisk by hand, and chop the garlic by hand.
3. Pour the dressing over the tomato/basil mixture, and season with some fresh cracked pepper. Eat immediately and enjoy!

Variations—If you are allowing some dairy into your life, fresh mozzarella is absolutely sublime with this dish. If you want more “zing” with this recipe, add in some sliced-up red onions.