Fresh tomato-basil salad

1
Points® value
Total Time
7 min
Prep
7 min
Cook
0 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
In the summer when there is a large selection of tomatoes available, try this salad with a combination of yellow and red tomatoes of different sizes and shapes. It's a super quick recipe in terms of assembly, ready in under 10 minutes. Where the recipe calls for extra time - thirty minutes or so - is to allow the salad to stand so that the flavors of the vinegars and herbs blend with the tomatoes and their natural juices. Do this at room temperature only. Tomatoes should never be refrigerated; doing so prevents their ongoing ripening, the cold extinguishes their flavor, and cold temperature breaks down the membranes in tomatoes, making them mealy or grainy in texture. If you do refrigerate tomatoes, make sure you bring them back to room temperature before serving.

Ingredients

Red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp

Sherry vinegar

1 Tbsp

Shallot

1 Tbsp, chopped, minced

Table salt

¼ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Basil

1 Tbsp, 1 spring

Tomato

1 pound(s), (3 – 4 medium), cut into wedges

Basil

¼ cup(s), finely shredded

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing, whisk together the red-wine and sherry vinegars, shallot, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until blended. Add the basil sprig and bruise it with the back of a wooden spoon. Let the mixture stand at room temperature about 20 minutes. Discard the basil sprig.
  2. Put the tomatoes in a serving bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and add the shredded basil; gently toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour before serving. Yields 1/2 cup salad per serving.

Notes

This salad pairs well with Southwestern Grilled Pork Tenderloin,