I was struggling for a light, refreshing, and quick side dish for our Perfect Bean Sandwiches last night. Yes, you heard me, Bean sandwiches. Perfect. Just like when we were kids. Mountain Man and I both grew up having pinto beans on two pieces of white bread (last night was whole wheat). What a delight and yummy comfort food. If you want to get really crazy with it, add a little thinly sliced sweet onion, a little grated cheese and a little salsa. Oooooo-weeee! I digress. We may just have to have a repeat performance of The Perfect Bean Sandwich again tonight. Anyhoo, I had several Roma tomatoes, all perfectly red, ripe and ready to eat. I had put them on my windowsill to ripen for about 3 days prior to using. And I never put tomatoes in the refrigerator before preparing them. Somehow they lose a lot of “umph” when they get cold. The Tomato Salad was the perfect side to The Perfect Bean Sandwich. Actually, it would be a perfect side for almost any sandwich, summertime pasta dish, or even roast pork or chicken. Now that I think about it, it’s just a great all-around salad. Light, refreshing, and very tasty. See if you don’t think so yourself. Tomato Salad 4 Roma Tomatoes, sliced long in quarters 1/4 large sweet Onion, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbsp White Balsamic Vinegar 1 Tbsp fresh Basil, chopped 1 tsp Kosher Salt 1/4 tsp fresh cracked Pepper 1/8 tsp sugar Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until tomatoes and onions are thoroughly coated. Serve with your favorite meal, or with a warm piece of crusty, buttered bread. I didn’t refrigerate ours before serving and the taste of the tomatoes came bursting through like a tidal wave. If you do refrigerate, be sure and take the salad out of the refrigerator prior to eating long enough for the olive oil to warm up and liquefy a bit before serving. You could also add some fresh Mozzarella or Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese just before serving to give it a bit more of an Italian flair. And if you have never tried White Balsamic Vinegar, this is a great opportunity. White Balsamic Vinegar has a modern twist, aged only 1 year and cooked under pressure in order to retain its clear color and a lighter, bright flavor that is truly […]
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