Saturday 30 June 2012

Technicolor Tomatoes!

Insalata di Pomodori Colorati Siciliani
Sicilian Heirloom Tomato Salad


There seems to be no end to the talk of "organic this" or "heirloom that" and being rather pragmatic about these things, I often wonder how much merit there is in going out of your way to buy these beautifully colored tomatoes- unless it is purely for the optics.

Obviously (I would hope!), an organic, sun-ripened tomato is going to taste better. But how much better can one variety taste than another? In my opinion, I KNOW what the flavor of a wonderful tomato is, even if I don't always end up having it... but can't really claim to have had any one particular kind that really was any more outstanding than another. And I still maintain that- if it's good: it's good! Period!


So here is the low-down on this lovely little selection of tomatoes from Sicily. These were small tomatoes- you can see the scale of them pretty clearly when you consider them next to those basil leaves. I cut each one of them into 3 horizontal slices- just because they looked prettier that way. The red ones were as you might expect, deliciously sweet and rich, the green a little milder and the yellow, surprisingly enough, tangier and more robust. So to be honest, if it were to be flavor I was to be looking for- I would just to stick to my plain old red tomatoes- there, I've said it!

At the time, having said that, I HAD now sliced up the tomatoes and layered them with basil leaves. What I needed was a dressing. For this, I mixed 1 part white balsamic vinegar, to 2 parts orange juice, to 3 parts olive oil. I shook this together well, then added a little honey and then shook it again until it was well mixed.

I poured the dressing over the tomatoes and basil, then sprinkled it with coarse sea salt, a little pepper and a scattering of fresh thyme- pretty simple but very delicious! It is not always about re-inventing the wheel- much more just enjoying the ride!

No comments:

Post a Comment