Sunday, July 18, 2010

Summer Salads

While it is blisteringly hot outside, I find that eating a nice, refreshing salad is ideal. And while I love my old standby of basic romaine, tomato, pepper salad, I have lately been taken with eating a tomato and mozzarella salad almost every day for lunch. My garden basil is not ready for me to start picking leaves off it yet, but I do have a small oregano plant in my kitchen, and its leaves add a nice peppery taste to my caprese salad.

So, here's the recipe:

Vine tomatoes (or heirloom, which I hear are sublime)
Mozzarella (you might be a wiz and make your own, or you might buy it like me)
salt and pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
basil and/or oregano leaves, to taste

Just slice up your tomatoes and cheese and mix them together in a bowl. Be generous with your oil and vinegar (then you can sop it up with some crusty bread!) and add your spices to taste. Easy!

2 comments:

Kate said...

My dad used to make this in the summer when the tomatoes were in full swing. He called it "tomato salad," and sopping up the juices with crusty bread is definitely the best part! How is your garden doing?

Unknown said...

Kate, are you saying, "how does your garden grow"? :)

It is in great shape! The day after I planted it rained for a week here in DC. The basil is shooting right up, although the mint didn't like getting pummeled in the showers. It's splayed, but still photosynthesizing like a champ! The peony has no blooms yet, but it's loving life too, and one of the old rose bushes has a new blossom!