The key to enjoying delicious native tomatoes is never to refrigerate them (it makes their flesh mealy). There are so many varieties of heirloom tomatoes to enjoy — reds, yellow, oranges, stripes, ringed plums — that you can’t go wrong. Make a rainbow salad with luscious heirloom tomatoes that is crunchy, lightly sweet from the basil, and tangy from red wine vinegar. Serves 6
Ingredients:
5 cups heirloom tomatoes of choice
2 small cucumbers
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chop tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado into bite-size pieces and combine in serving dish. In separate bowl, combine onion, basil, vinegar, oil and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over tomatoes and serve.
COOK’S NOTE: Combine green and purple varieties of basil for an especially beautiful presentation. This recipe was halved for photos, so be aware that this recipe makes quite a bit of salad. — Adapted from “Clean Food,” by Terry Walters, 2009, Sterling Publishing
Photo by Alison Penn.
Local Ingredients
- Armenian Cucumber from Las Semilla Community Farm in Anthony, NM
- Purple and green basil from Growing with Sara Farm in Socorro, Texas
