I stole this recipe.
By that, I mean it is based on an amazing heirloom tomato salad that is only available seasonally at one of my favorite local restaurants: The Basin in Saratoga. They buy their heirloom tomatos from Happy Boy Farms, who also have a stall at my Saturday market, and they only serve it when the tomatoes are plentiful in mid-summer. When it is gone, it is gone. Since I can make it at home from just a few tomatoes, I can stretch the heirloom-tomato-salad-season out a bit longer by making my own version.
I suspect my version has veered off from theirs, as I tend to simplify everything down to the essentials, and I honestly can't remember what all is in their version (it is no longer on the menu, it now being November, though Happy Boy still had a table filled with heirlooms at the market this weekend). It doesn't matter, as it is really all about the tomatoes, the basil, and the balsamic vinegar.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
a la The Basin Restaurant
serves 2
2 large heirloom tomatoes, of a size and shape suitible for making bowls
3 small heirloom tomatoes
quality olive oil
balsamic vinegar (I really enjoyed this salad with a fig balsamic vinegar I found at Whole Foods, but use whatever style balsamic vinegar you like best)
fresh or fresh dried oregano, chopped finely
6 basil leaves, 2 cut into confetti and the rest chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste
Hollow out the two large tomatoes to make serving bowls. Chop the tomato removed from the bowls and the smaller tomatoes into medium-sized chunks. In a bowl, gently mix the tomato together with the oil (1-2 tsp), the vinegar (3-4 tsp), the chopped herbs and some salt. Scoop the tomato mixture into the prepared bowls and garnish with the basil confetti and freshly ground pepper to taste. If you are fond of reduced balsamic, you can enhance the garnish by drizzing a bit of reduced vinegar over the salad or around the plate (this is how it is served at the restaurant).
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