Tomato and Sweet Onion Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Posted on 02 August 2010

My dad is a nut.

Exhibit A: He trekked 3000 miles to spend just 1.5 days with my sister and me (and our respective husbands — which makes us sound terribly grown up).

Exhibit B: He brought 10 pounds of tomatoes from his garden with him. Because I asked him to. I had high expectations for his tomatoes. After all, he is a farmer’s son.

I planned that that bulk would go to a spicy salsa — that’s another story for another time — but I wanted to find a way to showcase the entrancing excellence of these homegrown beauts. And they were entrancingly beautiful.

The solution: tomato salad.

But what kind? A Caprese would be too predictable and boring, but basil is always good. Since his Romas weren’t too sweet, a sweet onion seemed like a good complement — all the goodness of an onion without the harsh bite. And, of course, I can never get enough balsamic vinaigrette.

Plus, I love to eat this way during the summer. Why spend a ton of time in the kitchen when you can enjoy the bounty of the season?

Besides, the oven is still broken and I’m growing tired of the small appliances, which I didn’t think was possible.

We wolfed down at least 3 servings. The remainder made a tasty midnight snack.

Tomato and Sweet Onion Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the salad

2 pounds of Roma tomatoes, sliced

1/2 sweet onion, sliced into rings (Walla Walla or Vidalia are common varieties)

1 tablespoon chopped basil

1 tablespoon chopped mint

Kosher salt

For the vinaigrette

1.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1.5 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Arrange sliced tomatoes on a platter. Top with rings of sweet onion and chopped herbs. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Add the oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the tomato salad.

https://www.allfourburners.com/2010/08/02/tomato-and-sweet-onion-salad-and-balsamic-vinaigrette/

Salad inspired by Gourmet and vinaigrette adapted from Epicurious

Category: Recipes, Salads
Tags: basil, sweet onions, tomatoes, vegetarian

1 Response to Tomato and Sweet Onion Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Betty says:

August 7, 2010 at 7:54 AM

This sounds wonderful! And it’s even better that the tomatoes are from your Dad’s garden. I’ve been able to get a few tomatoes from my balcony planters, but not all at once so it was hard to make anything like a tomato salad. I was happy with my tomatoes and my Mom gave me some from their garden. 🙂 Love the summer bounty.

All Four Burners