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Heirloom Tomato Salad with Grilled Red
Torpedo Onions and Pesto Vinaigrette
Heirloom tomatoes have enough flavor to be a light appetizer on their own. All you need is to slice and sprinkle with a little sea salt. One of Mary's earliest memories is eating a plate of just picked, still warm from the sun, heirloom tomatoes from her family's garden.
This fruit salad (remember tomatoes are a fruit) showcases what we think summer is all about: intense flavor, colorful ingredients and playful flavor combinations. The resulting tastes are refreshing and complex without being pretentious or difficult to make. Find as many different heirloom tomatoes as possible. The range of flavors and textures will surprise you.
Makes 4 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
Salad:
2 red Torpedo onions, peeled, cut into half moons and thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound various heirloom tomatoes (approximately 4 to 6 tomatoes)
kosher salt or course sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup pesto vinaigrette
basil leaves for garnish
Pesto Vinaigrette:
Makes approximately 1 cup
1 clove garlic, peeled
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
2 cups fresh basil leaves, stems removed
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
cracked black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Salad:
Preheat a grill.
Toss the onions in a bowl with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Remove the cores from the tomatoes and cut them in various shapes and sizes (wedges, round slices, half-moons, etc.) and reserve. Place onions on the grill over medium heat and grill until the onions are tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
Vinaigrette:
In the bowl of a food processor, purée garlic and salt until a paste is formed. Add pine nuts and basil and process until a fine paste formed. With motor running, add vinegar and then slowly add oil in a thin stream until the mixture is emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning.
To Serve:
Arrange the tomatoes on the plates. Season with salt and pepper. Place several slices of grilled onions on top of the tomatoes and drizzle with pesto vinaigrette. Arrange several basil leaves on and around tomatoes and sprinkle with additional cracked black pepper.
Advance Preparation:
The onions can be grilled ahead of time and refrigerated. Bring them to room temperature before adding to the salad. Don't store tomatoes in the refrigerator as this can make them grainy and mealy and they lose flavor. As with most produce, buy only what you need. Keep them on the counter between 55°F and 70°F.
Substitutions and Options:
We prefer Tropea Red Torpedo onions because they are mild with a burst of onion flavor. Tropea is a town in the province of Calabria in Italy facing out onto the Tyrrenian Sea and is famous for its pungent, football-shaped, red onion. Any medium-sized red onion can be substituted for the red torpedo onions.
Any ripe, flavorful tomato can be used in this recipe but the taste of this dish rests on the shoulders of the farmer.
Other herbs can easily be substituted for the basil in the pesto vinaigrette. A good rule to follow is to use half parsley leaves and half other herbs otherwise the pesto will overpower the delicate sweetness of the tomatoes.
Wine Notes:
Tomatoes are difficult to pair with wine. Try a New Zealand-style Sauvignon Blanc or Fumé Blanc with slightly tart citrus, pepper, grass and mineral flavors or a sparkling dry rosé will cut through the acidity of the tomatoes. Recommended: 2001 Thornbury, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand. For something that connotes elegance try a 1997 Soter, "Beacon Hill," Brut Rosé, Oregon.
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