Heirloom Tomato Salad
Photo: Heirloom Tomato Salad. Photo by Lauren Volo.
A Note About The Recipe
“This dish was a staple in our home in the summer. Floyd grew tomatoes and would love to toss them in a salad so we enjoyed the deliciousness of freshly-picked tomatoes. The balsamic truly complements the spices and flavors in this salad.”
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Excerpted from Flavorwalla by Floyd Cardoz (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2016.
Serves: 6
Cooking Time: About 15 minutes
Notes From Floyd in Flavorwalla:
Many people are turned off by heirloom tomatoes because they can be funny-looking and it’s not easy to get perfect, round slices, but I consider that innate idiosyncrasy to be a major part of their appeal. Plus, I love to have any excuse to talk about my favorite farmer, Tim Stark of Eckerton Hill Farm in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. His heirloom tomatoes are just the excuse I need. Tim is one of the many passionate farmers I have the pleasure to work with, and he’s one of the nicest guys I know. He has one golden rule for storing tomatoes: Don’t ever put them in the refrigerator. You can’t taste them when they’re cold, and it also ruins the texture. On the other hand, if you really are awash in tomatoes, as can happen during the height of the season, freeze them whole to use later, such as in Stewed Chicken with Fresh Tomatoes (page 150 of Flavorwalla).
You can slice and measure all the ingredients ahead, but toss them all together only at the last minute so that the salad doesn’t get soggy.
A Note on Bush Basil:
Bush basil grows as a small, round bush. It has leaves that are smaller than the more common sweet basil—as small as 1 ⁄4 inch and usually not more than 1 inch long. If you can’t find it, use torn sweet basil leaves.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3⁄4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 1⁄2 pounds/680 grams mixed ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into even wedges
A pinch of chile flakes
1⁄2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger 11⁄2 teaspoons minced serrano chile
1⁄4 cup mint leaves, torn just before use
1⁄4 cup Thai basil leaves, torn just before use
2 tablespoons bush basil leaves (see below)
A small pinch of sugar
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon fennel pollen
DIRECTIONS:
In a small dry skillet, toast the coriander seeds over medium-low heat, shaking the pan frequently, until fragrant and several shades darker, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Repeat to toast the peppercorns.
Finely grind the toasted spices together in a spice/coffee grinder.
Put the tomatoes in a large bowl and add the ground spice blend and chile flakes. Mix gently to distribute the spices evenly. Add the onion, ginger, chile, mint, Thai basil, bush basil, sugar, olive oil, and vinegar and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle the fennel pollen on top.
Serve the salad immediately, making sure to include some of the juices that have accumulated in the bowl with each serving.
