Tomato, avocado and herb salad

This dish has so many of my favorite things: ripe market produce with lots of herbs and avocado. The real gem is the tomato vinaigrette. I had leftovers the next morning on avocado toast with a fried egg. Experiment with all the different tomato colors. I tend to think the wilder the color, the better!

Tomato, avocado, herb salad
serves 4, adapted from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

3 ripe tomatoes
Tomato vinaigrette (see below)
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
1 heaping cup of mixed herb leaves: I’ve used a combo of parsley, cilantro, arugula and basil

//Tomato vinaigrette//

1 TBS diced shallots (I used a small red onion from the garden)
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 oz ripe tomato (I used one medium Early Girl)
2 basil leaves, roughly torn
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, flattened with knife

First, make the dressing:

Finely chop the shallot or onion and let macerate in the vinegar with a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. Chop the tomato down the middle crosswise and then grate each half on the large holes of a box grater. Add the tomato juice to the shallot along with the basil leaves. Whisk in the olive oil and season for salt. I added a touch more vinegar at this point, but taste yours and adjust as necessary. Stir in garlic and let sit 5 minutes. Remove garlic. Dressing is ready to serve. (Leftover dressing can be used on avocado toast or with eggs).

For salad:

Cut your ripe tomatoes into thick slices and arrange on a plate. Season and then drizzle with a few spoonfuls of dressing. In a small bowl, mix the halved cherry tomatoes, avocado and herbs. Season with salt and then dress with the vinaigrette. Pile into the center of the plate and serve.