Author Notes
When you're awash in fresh tomatos and basil, and it's too hot to cook, this summer sauce is a wonderful way to use the excess. Its uses are almost infinite -- I use it to top bruschetta, as a sauce for pasta (with a grind or two of parmesan cheese), as a salad with some cubed mozzarella, as a pizza topping, or as the base for salsa (albeit with a basil instead of cilantro flavor). I bring home fresh tomatos from the farmer's market, and this is what becomes of the tomatos that are left over from the past week; if there are none left, well, I buy a few extra. A bowl of this keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 days; I've never had occasion to see if it keeps any longer. —Kayb
Ingredients
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3
medium ripe tomatos, diced
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1/2 cup
basil, chiffonade (chiffonaded?)
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3
large cloves garlic, minced
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1/2 cup
sweet onion, diced (optional)
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1/4 cup
the best extra virgin olive oil you can find
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1-2 tablespoons
good balsamic vinegar
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salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
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Mince garlic fine and add to oil in a glass or non-reactive bowl. Add onion. Add tomatos and basil. Toss with balsamic vinegar. Let sit on counter for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. After an hour, salt and pepper to taste. Leave out on counter the rest of the day, and if you have any left, refrigerate. It doesn't seem to hurt the flavor of the tomatos or basil if you let them marinate in the oil and balsamic most of a day before refrigerating.
I'm a business professional who learned to cook early on, and have expanded my tastes and my skills as I've traveled and been exposed to new cuisines and new dishes. I love fresh vegetables, any kind of protein on the grill, and breakfasts that involve fried eggs with runny yolks. My recipes tend toward the simple and the Southern, with bits of Asia or the Mediterranean or Mexico thrown in here and there. And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a float in the lake, as pictured, is a pretty fine lunch!
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