Lundi: Recipes

Where I live we are not treated to fresh produce for a large portion of the year.  Everything – or just about everything – is shipped up from the lower48 which means it is pretty tasteless by the time it gets to us.  Tomatoes in particular suffer to the point where I have yet to encounter a person who grew up in Alaska that likes tomatoes. 

When I was a child we always had garden fresh tomatoes.  One of the first things Mom would do when we moved into a new house was plant tomatoes and geraniums in the back yard (the geraniums were supposed to keep the bugs off the tomatoes).  This time of year I can get good, homegrown tomatoes at the farmer’s market and I want to eat as many of them as I possibly can.  So here is an old Creole recipe for a tomato salad that features the rich, zesty taste of these wonderful fruits of the vine.

1 nice, ripe (Creole if possible) tomato per person being served (the following portions will reflect one serving)

1 tsp balsamic or champagne vinegar

1 generous tsp Creole or Dijon mustard

3 or 4 basil leaves, chopped

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Cut your tomato into bite sized wedges.  Mix vinegar and mustard with salt, pepper and olive oil to taste in a bowl.  Add tomato and toss.  Plate tomato and sprinkle with chopped basil and more salt and pepper if desired. 

Variations: marinate the tomato wedges in the mustard mixture for up to an hour before serving.  In France, a similar salad also includes thinly sliced white or red onions, added on the plate.  Bon appetite ~

Header: Tomato by Elizabeth Osborne