- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 12
-
Sparkle (0)
Years ago, before I started growing tomatoes, and when I was just coming to grips with the level of tomato obsession I indeed harbor, I went to a farmer's market in downtown D.C. after work. At a particular stand, I picked through a pile of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, all shapes and sizes and colors, and picked out six. The farmer weighed them, put them in a bag, handed it back to me and said, "That'll be $18."
I blinked at him, looked down at the money in my hand, and handed it over. I should have known, right then, that I had a problem.
But I'd argue a heirloom tomato obsession is a good problem to have, and these delicious summer-only treats are perfect to showcase with a little style and panache. A stacked heirloom tomato salad allows you to mix and match different colors and sizes of tomatoes to their best advantage.
Recently, I served a tomato stack inspired by a July 2008 recipe from Cooking Light, although I forewent their dressing ideas in lieu of a simple drizzle of really good aged balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil over each stack. I also diced the red onion and sprinkled just a bit between each layer of tomato-my goal was to give the salad some bite without overpowering the tomato. I sprinkled diced avocado over and around the stack, and then drizzled the dressing on top. A quick grind of black pepper and a scattering of kosher salt crystals, and the salad was ready to go.
If you followed Kalyn Denny's great advice earlier in the year and planted yourself a garden filled with your favorite heirlooms, you should be in great shape right now to harvest a few different ones and use them in a stacked salad. But if you didn't-or couldn't-grow your own, all is not lost. Hit your local farmer's market for an amazing collection of summer's rock stars. From green to yellow to red to purple, heirlooms have hit the market with a vengeance, and they are beautiful additions to your late-summer meals.
If you followed Kalyn Denny's great advice earlier in the year and planted yourself a garden filled with your favorite heirlooms, you should be in great shape right now to harvest a few different ones and use them in a stacked salad. But if you didn't-or couldn't-grow your own, all is not lost. Hit your local farmer's market for an amazing collection of summer's rock stars. From green to yellow to red to purple, heirlooms have hit the market with a vengeance, and they are beautiful additions to your late-summer meals.
Looking for inspiration for your own heirloom tomato stack? Gilian of "...but where do you get your protein?" made a more true-to-recipe variation of the original Cooking Light salad I tried, and she made the two suggested (and delicious-sounding) options to drizzle over it: a cilantro-lime dressing and a lemon-basil dressing.
Mrs. L. at Pages, Pucks and Pantry built her heirloom tomato stack with Parmesan crisps, and drizzled a shallot and mustard vinaigrette over the stack. Dawnielle at exceeding the speed limit also made a heirloom stack with similar crisps, but her stack includes bacon and avocado for a slightly heartier presentation.
Finally, if you are a watermelon fan, Ann and Jack of Redacted Recipes offer up an heirloom tomato and watermelon stack that looks like a great combination of sweet, acidic and salty. It's perfect for those hot August days on the back porch!
Genie blogs about gardening and food at The Inadvertent Gardener, and tells very short tales at 100 Proof Stories. She is also documenting her year in photos at 365 in 2009.
