Tomato Salad

I always love when the tomato garden is ready for picking. Nothing is better than a beautiful ripe tomato that is picked a little warm or after a warm rain. I especially love a good tomato salad.

My grandmother and my mother always made tomato salads and I couldn't imagine a summer without it.

Uncle Jean Pierre's horse used for carrying the grapes in the early 70's

My Grandmother and her mother would cook for the immediate family which included my mother and her siblings and my grandfather of course to having extra family and extra helpers that came for gatherings or during harvest time of the grapes.

Her food wasn't always photo ready but it was graciously and loving set for the family and friends they loved. She cooked simple food, cooked with love and done beautifully that everyone left the table feeling refueled not just nutritionally for the body but for the soul.

We have always had salads with what was available from the garden: green bean salad, lettuce, beets, celeriac, carrot and of course tomato salad

As it is home cooking this tomato salad is flexible 

Tomatoes (any size, any color) just make sure they are ripe (if the tomatoes are cut them to bite size medium to large pieces or 1/4" slices)

 I have found a good ripe organic tomato will due in this dish but my true favorite is still a garden grown kissed by the sun plump tomato!

onions: can be red, or Vidalia or yellow onions or scallions or shallots (what do you have, what do you like).  Our family likes onions in their salad so we add more than other people: so for us a couple nice size tomatoes get 1/2 a sliced or chopped onion, sliced scallions or finely chopped scallions (2 medium)

parsley chopped (again use what you like) we use a good tablespoon of chopped parsley. curly or flat

My grandmother would have stopped the Tomato salad at the above ingredients then add her vinaigrette as she didn't have fresh mozzarella and basil at her farm.  Times have changed and I add the current trend of:

fresh mozzarella cut bite size or slices
Basil leaves sliced into thin ribbons

which I love!

Plating - you choose. My grandmother chopped her tomatoes, her onions, parsley and put it in a bowl. Depending on the time or how I feel:  I will do like my grandmother or layer slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella slices on a neat circle and drizzle the parsley and chopped or sliced onion on top of the tomatoes. Like my grandmother before me I take a small pinch of salt and sprinkle that on top of the tomatoes.  Top with dressing (listed below)

***Dressing: In my family the oil to vinegar ratio is generally 2 oil to every 1 vinegar*  as we tend to like a the vinegar taste (it's been like this forever). But most recipes call for a 3:1 ratio such as 3 T oil to 1 T vinegar. I like both but for most peoples taste I find they like the 3:1 ratio better.

(double the recipe as you add more tomatoes - this recipe is for 2 medium to large tomatoes)

Oil (I use olive for this) 3 T (most people like 3:1)
Vinegar Balsamic 2 T
(2:1) my family's taste
1 teaspoon shallots chopped fine or 1 T onion chopped small to med
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp of dijon (we taste the dressing as we tend to like more dijon as a rule.. it's usually a tsp.)
s/p to taste
Garlic (optional) 1small clove minced (we don't use it always)

put in a container and shake to blend.  I have always used a small canning jar

pour it on about 15 to 30 minutes before serving. (if you put in a bowl with chopped tomatoes - mix, if on a plate all nice and fancy - just pour the dressing over the tomatoes)

*Vinegar:  My grandmother couldn't go to the store and pick the lovely balsamic and other multiple of vinegars that are on the market today.  They made their own vinegar.  At the time I am sure the vinegar was made out of grapes that grew in the fields.  Then when my grandmother came to live in the states for 15 years, after the war, before going back to Alsace she used apple cider vinegar for her recipes as it was readily available.  I have to admit I have gotten very spoiled with the good balsamic vinegars on the market for my tomato salad.


How to make your own vinegar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rYQyWTeX1M

My great grandfather in front of his house in Dambach La ville (built in the late 1600's early 1700's) 

It is now a set of apartments and lovingly restored (they now have a plaque outside of it with the date the home was built) 

Professional chef's recipes for vinaigrettes that would work just as well, maybe even better:  :o) 

Martha Stewart: cooking School book:  must buy for the beginning or learning student of cooking (I have tried many a Martha recipe.  Her recipes turn out 99.9% of the time for me and they have taught me so much about cooking. 

Martha's Balsamic 

in a small bowl whack together  

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1 T dijon 

and a pinch of sugar

season with sal and ground pepper

slowly add 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and whisking until emulsified. 

Store up to 2 weeks in a air tight container. 

Her shallot vinaigrette:
"3 T sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon
1 t minced shallot
1/4 cup plus 2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Her red win vinaigrette
2 T red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove smashed
1 teaspoon coarse salt or to taste (such as a kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper or to taste
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T sunflower or other neutral tasting oil"

put in blender to emulsify (blending well so that the ingredients don't easily fall apart)

from the Closet cooking blog: http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/02/balsamic-vinaigrette.html

"Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 large clove garlic (grated)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Mix everything."

Emeril's balsamic vinaigrette: 

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

"Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, optional*
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Mesclun salad mix or favorite greens, for accompaniment
Assortment of salad ingredients, such as cherry tomatoes, chopped carrots, sliced red onion, chopped celery, diced cucumbers, walnuts
Blue cheese, for garnish
Directions
Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the optional sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Toss a few tablespoons of the dressing with the salad mix and desired salad ingredients, top with blue cheese and serve immediately.

If not using dressing right away, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

*If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback"