Underripe or watery tomatoes are so flavourless and mealy that there should be a law against serving them. Make this salad only with ripe, juicy fruit that has been harvested locally. Any heirloom variety will work, though I particularly like Brandywine and Oxheart ones from the Okanagan Valley. Substitute arugula for the lettuces and Parmesan cheese for the mozzarella, if you prefer.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Tomato Chips
1 tsp olive oil for brushing
3 ripe but firm tomatoes
Heirloom Tomato Salad
1 lb mixed heirloom or assorted ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp lemon thyme leaves
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 head losso rosso lettuce, washed and trimmed
8 oz. buffalo mozzarella, cut in eight slices
1 tsp Maldon salt or sea salt
2 sprigs fresh basil
METHOD
Tomato Chips
01. Pre-heat the oven to 100°F/40°C or lower.
02. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it lightly with olive oil.
03. Slice the tomatoes as thinly as possible and place them on the baking sheet.
04. Bake the tomatoes for 6 to 8 hours, placing a damp, balled-up towel in the oven door to keep it slightly ajar.
Alternatively, a food dehydrator may be used to make the tomato chips.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
01. In a stainless steel bowl, combine the tomatoes, lemon thyme, olive oil, and sherry vinegar and season with half the salt.
TO SERVE
01. Arrange a quarter of the lollo rosso and oak leaf lettuce leaves on each plate.
02. Season the mozzarella with the remaining Maldon sea salt.
03. Place a slice of mozzarella on each bed of lettuce, then top with an eighth of the tomato mixture.
04. Repeat with another layer of mozzarella and tomatoes.
05. Spoon some of the marinade from the tomatoes over each dish and garnish with a few tomato chips.
WINE
Pair this dish with a Spanish white from Rueda, such as Telmo Rodriguez’s Basa, or Greco di Tufo from Campania, Italy.
