Tomatoes with Basil and Balsamic

Easy, Fast & Delicious

Recipe by Debbie from Live Earth Farm (?)

This morning my husband commented that our menu is totally dictated by this blog.  I hope that was a joke, or at least an exaggeration. He said it in response to me wanting to make this recipe “because it’s easy to blog about.” Actually, this is one of my favorite things to do with ripe garden tomatoes.  It’s easy to make and requires little time and few ingredients. Since our ambitious menu idea to make tomato sauce with squash and peppers over pasta never materialized, and  we ate steamed squash and roasted peppers instead, this recipe is the logical thing to make tonight, in addition to being totally bloggable.

Tomatoes Plus 5 Ingredients

I’ve used this recipe for years, and believe it’s another recipe from our CSA’s semi-retired recipe maven, Debbie from Live Earth Farm (though I don't see it on their website). Debbie often cooks like many of us do, with a sprinkle of this and a ‘blorp’ of that, so I’ve tried to exact-ify her measurements. As usual, I recommend that you adjust quantities of ingredients to your taste. It’s hard to go too wrong with proportions in this recipe!

You might want to substitute 1 large heirloom tomato for the 3 - 6 smaller ones. It’s about 12 oz. – 1 lb. tomatoes in either case. We’ve made this with lemon flavored olive oil as a fun variation.

Tomatoes with Basil and Balsamic

serves 2 – 4

3 – 6 medium dry farmed tomatoes

2 tbsp. basil leaves, from  1 - 2 stalks

1 tbsp. aged balsamic vinegar

1-2 tsp. olive oil

1/8 tsp. salt or more

1/8 tsp. pepper or more

Sprinkling with Balsamic Vinegar

Wash and slice tomatoes thickish and put on serving dish. Make thin strips of basil with kitchen shears (quicker than a knife). Distribute basil evenly over tomatoes. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar from measuring spoon, being careful to include all tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, again distributing evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

These can be ready right away or left to marinate for an hour or so. If there are leftovers, drain off the liquid and serve within one day.