Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Focaccia Bread Salad
The beauty of this summery salad is in its simplicity: Be sure to use good-quality olive oil and season generously!
Ingredients:
4 cups focaccia bread, cut into large cubes
2-3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
½ cup basil-infused olive oil
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
¼ cup freshly-crumbled chevre cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Toss the focaccia cubes with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill the bread cubes until lightly charred, turning frequently with tongs. (A grill basket works well for this if you have it; otherwise watch that you don’t lose the croutons down the grate!) Remove from the grill and reserve.
2. On a large platter, arrange the heirloom tomato slices and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped basil, feta and grilled bread croutons and drizzle with another swirl of olive oil and, if desired, balsamic vinegar as well.
Summer Peach & Heirloom Tomato Salad
Incredibly fresh and light, this colorful salad is accented by a robust heirloom tomato vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
1-2 peaches, pitted, peeled and cut into wedges
1-2 heirloom tomatoes, trimmed of stems and cut into wedges
¼ cup thinly-sliced sweet onion
¼ cup fresh feta cheese
¼ fresh basil leaves, coarsely torn
Grilled Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette (see recipe)
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine peach and tomato slices with sliced onion in a large bowl. Toss with about ½ cup of the vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning and drizzle with more dressing and season with salt and pepper as desired.
2. Transfer to a serving platter and top salad with feta cheese crumbles and basil. Serve immediately.
Grain Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
Drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, this crisp salad is accented by green olives and sweet onions.
Ingredients:
1½ cups cooked farro, quinoa or other grain of your choice
2 heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ Walla Walla sweet onion, diced
¼ cup green olives, pitted and chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large bowl add the farro, tomatoes, onion, olives and parsley, then toss to combine.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss to coat.
3. This salad can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Village Salad
The classic Mediterranean salad, tossed with tomatoes, pepperoncini, olives and feta.
Ingredients:
1-2 heirloom tomatoes depending on size, cut into bite sized chunks
½ cup sliced pepperoncini
1 cup Kalamata olives
¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh oregano or other fresh herb of your choice, stripped of stems and chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place the tomatoes, cucumbers and pepperoncini in a bowl. Mix in the olives.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt and pepper, and pour over the salad to coat. Toss well then sprinkle with feta cheese.
Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Bread Panzanella
The beauty of this summery salad is in its simplicity: Be sure to use good-quality olive oil and season generously!
Ingredients:
4 cups Pain au Levain bread, cut into large cubes
2-3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
½ cup good-quality olive oil
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
¼ cup freshly-crumbled feta or goat cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Toss the bread cubes with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill the bread cubes until lightly charred, turning frequently with tongs. (A grill basket works well for this if you have it; otherwise watch that you don’t lose the croutons down the grate!) Remove from the grill and reserve.
2. On a large platter, arrange the heirloom tomato slices and drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped basil, cheese and grilled bread croutons and drizzle with another swirl of olive oil and, if desired, balsamic vinegar as well.
Variation: If you can find it, this salad is amazing topped with burrata cheese instead of the crumbled soft cheese!
Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber & Coriander
This tabbouleh-inspired salad is fresh and light thanks to an infusion of summer produce and herbs.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and quarters if large
1 large cucumber, seeds removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 small shallots, minced
½ cup green coriander leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine quinoa, 2 cups water and a large pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 7 minutes. Shut off heat and let rest until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer quinoa to a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until thoroughly chilled. Let drain for 10 minutes.
2. While quinoa cooks, combine tomatoes and cucumbers in a colander. Season with salt and toss to coat. Let drain in sink until ready to combine with quinoa.
3. In a large bowl, toss drained quinoa, drained tomatoes and cucumbers, shallots, parsley, mint, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or for best flavor, let rest overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Salad can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Roasted Sweet Onions
Roasted sweet onion adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this refreshing salad.
Ingredients:
2 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into ½-inch-thick rings
2 heirloom or other summer tomatoes, chopped
2 small ears of corn, shucked, blanched and kernels removed
1 scallion, diced
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
10 basil leaves, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange the sliced onion rings on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt, tossing to coat onions on both sides. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through until onions are brown and soft. Remove from onion, allow to cool, then roughly chop.
2. In a large bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, corn kernels and scallion. Add roasted onions and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together honey with sherry vinegar, then add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper then whisk well to combine. Drizzle dressing over the salad to taste and top with basil.
Heirloom Tomato & Herb Salad
A simple drizzle of oil and vinegar allows the natural tomato flavors to shine in this recipe from Martha Stewart.
Ingredients:
3 pounds heirloom tomatoes (halved or cut into wedges, depending on size)
1 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint, oregano and basil
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar, for drizzling
Flake sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Arrange tomatoes on a platter. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil.
2. Drizzle herbs with oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
3. Sprinkle herbs and feta cheese over tomatoes. Serve immediately.
Cherry Tomato, Cucumber & Mint Salad
This low-maintenance salad is light and bright—perfect for a picnic!
Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup crème fraîche
¼ cup minced shallots
¼ cup finely chopped mint
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper
Method:
1. In a colander set over a bowl, toss the cucumbers with the salt and let stand for 1 hour. Rinse the cucumbers and pat dry.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the shallots, mint, lemon juice and zest and a generous pinch of pepper. Add the cucumbers and tomatoes, toss to coat and refrigerate for a few hours. Stir the salad just before serving.
Grilled Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette
In addition to salad greens, this bright and robust dressing is wonderful tossed with pasta salad, or drizzled over steamed or grilled vegetables.
Ingredients:
1-2 heirloom tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh parsley
½ cup olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill tomato halves until soft and slightly charred, beginning flesh side down, and flipping over halfway through cooking so both sides have grill marks. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and herbs and process until smooth. Check for seasoning and season liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Then, with processor running, slowly add olive oil and process until well blended. Set aside until ready to use.