I'm addicted to tomatoes and basil in the summertime. There. I admitted it.
Because of this crazy addiction, I buy tomatoes and basil on pretty much every trip to the farmers' market, which means that even if I buy basil one week, turn it into pesto, and eat it all week long, I still buy more basil. True story. And even if I buy cherry tomatoes to use in a pasta dish, I still buy heirloom tomatoes when I see gorgeous, ripe ones. Having farmers' markets within walking distance every day of the week is a great way to feed this addiction. There are worse habits one could have.
Always having tomatoes and basil on hand is not a bad thing. It makes for a quick and easy dinner, especially when you have an end of a baguette, fresh mozzarella, fleur de sel, and olive oil and vinegar too.
Tomato-bread salad is one of the easiest things to whip up and doesn't even require turning on the stove (just the toaster oven). To make mine, I simply diced two heirloom tomatoes and scattered them on a plate. Then I cubed a 3-inch piece of baguette, lightly toasted the bread cubes, and combined them with the tomatoes.
Next, I seasoned the tomatoes with some fleur de sel. Then I diced four small mozzarella balls (ciligiene) and scattered those on top of the bread and tomatoes. I cut some basil chiffonade-style, and tossed it on top of the bread, tomato, and mozzarella mixture.
Lastly, I drizzled a little extra-virgin olive oil and some balsamic vinaigrette over the whole salad.
And then there was only one thing left to do: dig in!
What are your summertime vices?