Summer Tomato Salad

My friend Janet has a tomato problem. Luckily
she has friends like me to help her out!

Funny things happen during tomato season in Iowa. Weird, unexplained things. Like UFO sightings, only more delicious. Perhaps you have experienced this bizarre phenomenon. You walk into your office or workplace, just like any other Monday, or Thursday. You drop off your computer bag, maybe a handbag, at your desk and head to the break room to tuck your lunch in the fridge or grab a cup of coffee when you are startled by something on the counter, or tabletop. Red. Round. Lurking. They might even be trying to hide in a bag. They watch you suspiciously as you casually saunter over to these strange objects to see what this is all about. It's tomato season, and lucky for you, your colleague has an over-producing garden! Sharing tomatoes is an annual summer tradition in Iowa, and probably a lot of other places. Today I was pleasantly surprised by the gift of some Iowa homegrown tomatoes from my friend Lia. I had those tomatoes sitting on my desk all day and I daydreamed about eating them. Not in any recipe either. Ohhh no. These first Iowa-grown tomatoes are going to be eaten just as is, sliced. That's it, and it was heaven.

Guess what magically appeared on my desk? Yep!

No summer garden would be complete without an herb patch and an herb patch would never be complete without fresh basil.There are soooo many different kinds of basil, it's crazy! Italian basils, red basil, ruffled basil, giant lettuce leaf basil, Thai basil, lemon, lime and other citrusy flavored basils- it wouldn't be hard to have an entire garden comprised solely of basil! The Chef and I like to grow a couple different types. We like a larger leafy Italian basil, the leaves are substantial but not as big as lettuce leaf basil, and they have a great licorice like flavor, and we always grow a red basil too.

These beautiful ingredients combine with some fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of balsamic to create the most delectable summer salad, Caprese Salad. The history of the salad is pretty hard to pin down. some say it originated in the Campania region. while others call "insalata de caprese" the Salad of Capri, and hails from an island off the coast of Naples. The recipe was found on a menu dating back to 1920 after WWI and was thought to represent the colors of the Italian flag, and came back into favor in the 1950s. In the U.S. the salad started gaining popularity in the 1980s and had remained popular ever since. In Italy ingredients vary by region- some use pesto, others use arugula or other greens. tomatoes and fresh mozz are the constants. In the U.S. chefs and home cooks like to use heirloom tomatoes of different kinds to add beauty and a variety of flavors to add interest to the salad. No matter where in the world you are enjoying the salad, a hefty drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil is drizzled over and ties all the flavors together.

Homegrown Iowa heirloom tomatoes

Summer Tomato Salad

variety of heirloom tomatoes

fresh mozzarella

fresh basil

freshly ground black pepper

good quality extra virgin olive oil
good quality balsamic vinegar*

salt

* I have come to love purchased "balsamic drizzle"- I don't have to make my own reduction and the flavor is pretty darn good. Feel free to substitute this if you like, or reduce your own, or just use vinegar as is. It's delicious any way to use it.

Prepare the tomatoes- slice larger tomatoes, quarter or halve small bite sized tomatoes or grape/cherry tomatoes.

Slice the fresh mozzarella.

On a large serving platter or board, lay out a base of sliced tomatoes. Tuck slices of mozzarella in and around the sliced tomatoes, lifting to overlap in places. Scatter the smaller tomatoes around the board.

Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the basil leaves over. You can tear the basil leaves if they are really large. Drizzle the whole platter with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve immediately with lots of fresh crusty bread.

Plan on a couple slices of fresh mozzarella per person and at least one to one and a half tomatoes per person for each serving, and build your salad whatever size you need. Throw on as much or as little basil as you like and be generous with that olive oil! Freshly ground black pepper is key for great flavor so if you have a pepper mill, use it.

As for the 15 lbs of tomatoes from Janet, they were roasted
and frozen for use all winter long. I've offered to help her
dispose of even more, if she can spare a few.

I can't tell you how many times each summer I will have this, and sometimes only this, as my entire dinner- twice just this week! The tomatoes are so delicious, and nothing at all like the pasty mealy dry grocery store tomatoes. They are so fresh and juicy and even better if still warm from the sun. If you get a good mix of types of tomatoes, you'll have a great mix of flavors too- some sweeter, some more acidic, some firmer. The fresh mozzarella brings some protein to the plate, the olive oil is so healthy and delicious, and who doesn't love freshly harvested basil leaves, torn and scattered just moments before devouring them? Delicious stuff here, folks.