Tomato Salads

[Varmint]

I made a great tomato salad of 4 different types of heirlooms, some buffalo mozzarella, basil, EVOO, and sea salt. Yeah, it was damn good, but I'm getting tired of that. I think I actually prefer good feta in this type of salad over the mozzarella.

What are some other good tomato salad ideas?

[guajolote]

I've made one similar with mint and goat cheese.

Make some Gazpacho, you'll be happy.

[guajolote]

A bread salad kind of like this one is also good. I'm being overwhelmed by my tomatoes at this point.

[Special Ed]

I do it the same (heirlooms) but with roquefort and arugula. Served on top of a toasted slice of great Italian bread to soak up the juices.

[Al_Dente]

I've been on a cucumber kick lately. Chop the tomatoes, dice the cukes, sprinkle with herbs, lemon and evoo. Maybe serve over couscous.

[Mark Sommelier]

I made a great tomato salad of 4 different types of heirlooms, some buffalo mozzarella, basil, EVOO, and sea salt.  Yeah, it was damn good, but I'm getting tired of that.  I think I actually prefer good feta in this type of salad over the mozzarella. 

What are some other good tomato salad ideas?

Dear Varmint,

Put some crab meat in it. If you can find good quality heirlooms, you should be able to find some fresh packed canned Dungeness crab legs. There's a company that ships them east once a week. Great combo. Invent your own remoulade.

[Chef Fowke]

Rocket (arugula) and porcini oil in a orzo salad. Make sure the tomatoes are room temperature! So many times I order a tomato based salad in a restaurant and they come out cold! The first thing I learned in France is (after they stopped abusing me for not being French) was that tomatoes should always be room temperature and rarely should they be cooked.

as well....I recently had a tomato rubbed with Dijon, sea salt and fresh horseradish. It was great.

[jackal10]

Semi- dry the tomatoes first (12 hours in a very low oven). Concentrates the flavour.

Can mix with roasted peppers.... or pasta

[Jinmyo]

Blanch, shock, peel, seed (reserve peels and guts to make tomato water).

Fill tomato halves, one side with taramasalata and basil, the other side with a poached egg and some minced crisp bacon.

Serve the two halves together surrounded by tomato water with a bit of roe here and there, some garlic crostini.

[Mottmott]

I like to use a lemon infused olive oil on a plate of assorted tomatoes. Flavorful and pretty, but it doesn't distract from perfect tomatoes. Enhance it with a sprinkle of condiment salt.

[jsolomon]

slice in half, put salt and pepper on the cut side, spritz with oil, and broil or grill til there is some color on the cut side. This requires a BLISTERING HOT grill or a screeching hot broiler.

Slice, place on hamburgers.

Slice into 1/8's, place on pizza

put on old clothes and eat them like apples and let the juice run everywhere

Dice (seed or don't), drizzle a little rice wine vinegar over, add bruised basil, salt, pepper, a little red onion, and some chile

[KatieLoeb]

Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil and a mild white vinegar (I usually use rice wine vinegar) makes a very nutty and delicious vinaigrette for a tomato and cuke salad.

[marie-louise]

I, too, am getting a little sick of tomato salads such as yours. Not surprising, since I've been taking them every day for lunch for almost a month now!

A few slight variations on the theme: I add a handful of cold boiled green beans to the salad; Point Reyes Blue cheese instead of the usual mozzarella; tabbouleh, tomatoes, cucumber, and Feta.

Today I am having a bacon, avocado and tomato sandwich.

[Jinmyo]

Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil and a mild white vinegar (I usually use rice wine vinegar) makes a very nutty and delicious vinaigrette for a tomato and cuke salad.

Katie, you don't find pumpkin seed oil a bit to dark for cucumbers?

[Bond Girl]

I made a similar version of what Mark Sommelier suggested for the egullet potluck. Cut the tomato into smaller pieces, toss with mint, jalapeno, and crabmeat. Add a spritz of lemon juice and drizzle some olive oil. Sprinkle wth sea salt and pepper.

[tissue]

Add avocadoes.

[KatieLoeb]

Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil and a mild white vinegar (I usually use rice wine vinegar) makes a very nutty and delicious vinaigrette for a tomato and cuke salad.

Katie, you don't find pumpkin seed oil a bit to dark for cucumbers?

Jinmyo:

Actually, that's the traditional thing it's served over in Austria, in my experience. However, please remember that my experience is limited to the Evil Ex's family. They put the "fun" back in dysfunctional! Apparently other people ate this too...

It was usually peeled and seeded cukes and onions, both very thinly sliced, over iceberg lettuce with a vinaigrette of white vinegar and the pumpkin seed oil. Quite tasty and light. I personally prefer the less acrid vinegar so I use the rice wine vinegar instead.

[Jinmyo]

Katie, okay. Thanks. I've used it to dress pasta with chiles etc, that sort of thing.

Quite agree about rice vinegar.

White vinegar is for cleaning windows. And I don't do windows.

[IrishCream]

I call this an "Italian Jewel" salad. Cut tomatoes, avocadoes and cucumbers in equal bite-sized chunks. Add slivered red onion if desired. Marinate in a good Italian vinagrette. This can be made ahead as the dressing keeps the avocadoes form discoloring.

[KatieLoeb]

White vinegar is for cleaning windows. And I don't do windows.

Me neither!!!

Actually the pumpkin seed oil is also used drizzled over "head cheese" type gelatinous mystery meat cold cuts. Don't forget, this is a culture that eats blood sausage and horsemeat regularly. Some of the stinkiest, most vile smelling foodstuffs I've ever seen were in Austria. YIKES!

There's really yummy stuff too though. Great wines, wiener schnitzel, tafelspitz, delicious elegant soups, Wachau apricots, white asparagus, amazing fresh water fish, and let's certainly not forget the Viennese pastries!!!

[Rachel Perlow]

White vinegar is for cleaning windows. And I don't do windows.

Also, baking soda and white vinegar help clear your drains.

First, pour a cup or so of baking soda into your sink drain (it won't all go down the drain, that's OK). Then pour a cup or so of vinegar. It will fizz and most will start going down the drain. After a minute add some more vinegar if there's still baking soda around. Wait 10 minutes then flush with hot water for several minutes. Good for when the drains get stinky and to help clear fat deposits in the line, better for the pipes than Drano.

Every plumber who's ever worked for me emphasizes not to use Drano. Are they protecting their business or genuinely concerned for my pipes?

[bilrus]

I made the above linked recipie for Panzanella last night with some old sourdough I had in the kitchen and some pretty good tomatoes. I added some Romano cheese. Turned out pretty good. Thanks for the tip.

[docsconz]

I made a tomato salad last night with Farmer's Market tomatoes - "orange" low acid, red and yellow striped (the name escapes me) and Brandywines, chevre, basil, thyme, chives, oregano and mint along with EVOO and S&P. I made the salad several hours in advance and because of the chevre let sit in the refridgerator. Over time the chevre liquified and coated the tomatos. I don't think I can ever tire of these tomatoes

[tanabutler]

White vinegar is for cleaning windows. And I don't do windows.

Me, neither. I've had a virus-free Macintosh for fifteen years.

Every plumber who's ever worked for me emphasizes not to use Drano. Are they protecting their business or genuinely concerned for my pipes?

Rachel, Drano is fine. It used to be an issue back in the Sixties, but it's fine now. My husband is a general contractor. He's still asleep, or I'd get an exact reason for you, but I do know it's fine to use. I think your plumbers are passing down old lore with no good justification. When Bob wakes up and is here next time this thread is in front of me, I'll ask him to explain. (I just went through this recently on another forum, helping a friend online with her clogged drain. I always volunteer Bob to help people.)

[NVNVGirl]

I like to lightly smoke tomatoes in a stovetop smoker with either maple or alder wood, chiffonade basil, use a little goat cheese that's been crusted with chopped hazelnuts and grilled sprinkle with some hazelnut oil and balsamic blend vinegar. Or do it Cindy Pawlcyn's way ~slice tomatoes, sprinkle with chopped thyme and slivered kalamata olives, wrap goat cheese round in grapeleaf, grill and serve atop the tomatoes, dress with EVOO, balsamic and dijon.