Last summer, I went to a good Italian restaurant with a friend for dinner. I ordered a tomato salad as an entree. What came was an harmonious blend of tomatoes, red onions, black olives and fresh mozzarella cheese ladled over fresh, crisp greens. To say that it was good is like saying that Placido Domingo can sing a little. It was totally awesome! My tastebuds danced for hours!
Of course, the next day, I set about trying to reverse engineer the concoction and this is what I came up with! This is less a recipe than a general outline. Measurements are to taste and there’s lots of finagling room for ingredients and quantities. It’s pretty much a seat-of-the pants arrangement, but that makes it flexible and fun.
Tomato Concoction
Ingredients
* 4 ripe, medium sized tomatoes (or 6 Roma or plum tomatoes)
* 4 oz fresh mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
* 1 can of pitted, small, black olives, drained and rinsed
* 1/2 of a small onion (I like red but use what you like), finely chopped
* 1 bunch fresh basil, picked over, rinsed well and chopped
* 2 tsp chopped garlic
* 1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half
* 1/2 - 1 c olive oil
* Juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
* 1/4 c sunflower seeds (optional - I like the crunch!)
Method
* Seed the tomatoes if you like, then chop and place into a good sized bowl.
* Add the olives
* Toss in the onion, garlic and basil.
* Add the artichoke hearts
* Taste the tomatoes. If they seem to be acidy, add 1/2 tsp of sugar (that’s all you need - really)
* Toss in a tsp of salt and add freshly ground pepper to taste
* Add the olive oil and the lemon juice (use a real lemon!) and stir to get everybody acquainted
* Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours
That’s all there is to it! This will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week and the flavor improves over time. Serve it over your favorite greens or on *cold pasta and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Notes
I ususally borrow a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil and put it, along with the onion, garlic and basil, into this:
A mini chopper is a really handy gadget to have. I imagine they’re all pretty much alike, but this one is a Black and Decker (if you’re curious) and does a great job for me.
If you prefer (or would like to try) a more Spanish than Italian flavor, substitue cilantro for the basil, lime juice for the lemon juice and chiles for the artichoke hearts. I love both versions and generally switch between them when I’m making this regularly - usually during the warmer weather.
Do yourself a favor and use the best olive oil you can get - also fresh lemons and/or limes. You can’t believe what a difference those two things will make in your finished product. I had never used olive oil at all before last summer and I’m absolutely converted. Wonderful stuff both for dressings and for cooking with. I can’t imagine what took me so long to try it!
I generally use portabella mushrooms for this, but white will do fine. I mean to try Crimini some day. I’ve used those for cooking, but never raw. Mushrooms are one of those things that absolutely fascinate me and I try every variety I can get my greedy little fungus-loving fingers on :)
*For ready pasta, cook a pound or two of your favorite shape as you usually would. When the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water until the pasta is cold. Pack into one or two Glad Fresh Bags (these really do help things stay fresher longer - NAYY, just a happy customer) and stash in the fridge. It’s ready whenever you want cold pasta for a salad or you can toss some in a bowl with butter and cheese (or sauce of choice) and nuke it. Works great and this will also keep for about a week.
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This sounds great for summer suppers. Thanks.
Susan - Thanks, I hope you like it. It’s one of my summer standards :) Very yummy!
