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You will love the flavor
in this Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette!
As I’ve mentioned in a few recent posts, we’ve not had the best gardening summer. Regardless, we have plenty of veggies making their way into the house still. It makes for busy days, getting everything preserved for the winter, so that nothing goes to waste. This Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette is the result of a few extra tomatoes lying on the kitchen counter at dinner time.
It just makes sense – a vinaigrette is mainly an acid, some seasonings, and oil, so the tomatoes do a fine job of filling most of the role of the acid. I did add a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar to round things out, but the tomatoes do most of the work.
This stuff is amazing on something like a steak salad, or a submarine sandwich. Not surprisingly, it is pretty darned good on a tomato salad too. It livens up roasted veggies and it’s heaven splashed lightly over scrambled eggs. I love it for a dipping sauce with a toasted cheese sandwich.
I used a perfectly ripe slicing tomato, but in the past, I have used tomatoes that are a little past their prime. In that case, you might want to taste the vinaigrette and add a little extra vinegar, because the riper the tomatoes, the less acidic, and you want the right balance of acid and sweet. Just a little taste will tell you if you need to adjust anything.
Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette
Equipment USED
- Box Grater A must in every kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe tomato, washed
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- pinch of granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup good olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced basil leaves
Instructions
- Cut the tomato in half, top to bottom, and remove core.
- Using a box grater set over a shallow container, like a pie plate, remove pulp by holding one half of the tomato against the grater with the palm of your hand. Use firm pressure to hold the tomato in place and grate up and down, until you get to the skin. Go fairly slowly, and take care not to press too firmly as you get to the skin, so that you don't cut yourself. Discard the skin. Repeat with the other half of the tomato. You will have around a half cup of pulp.
- Empty the tomato pulp into a small mixing bowl [one with high sides makes whisking a little more efficient, but any bowl will work.
- Use a micro plane to grate the garlic clove right into the bowl, or mash the garlic to a paste using the tines of a fork.
- Add the vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar, and whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved.
- Keep whisking and slowly stream in the oil, until everything is combined and emulsified. You can just put everything in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake it vigorously, but I think whisking works better.
- Stir in the minced basil.
- This is best if it has 30 minutes or so to meld the flavors before using. Store leftovers in the fridge for up a to week.
I love the beautiful color of this vinaigrette – just seeing the bottle on the table makes me happy!
Enjoying the bright fresh flavor makes me even happier!
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I’m always like trying out new recipes for vinegrettes and this one looks great. Thanks !
Thanks Gerlinde – hope that you love it!
The color of this is incredible, imagining it over a fresh pasta salad with tons of veggies. Maybe tonight for dinner?
That sounds like a wonderful idea to me, Marti 🙂
I seriously would drizzle this on everything!
Me too, Jocelyn!
Just bought some beautiful tomatoes at the Farmers Market and now I know what I’m going to prepare with them. Great inspiration, thanks Donalyn!
Anytime Daniela – you inspire me too 🙂
Thuis looks really wonderful, Donalyn and I can’t wait to try it!
Let me know what you think, Bonnie 🙂
We had this last night and it truly was just delicious!! I drizzled it over grilled chicken breasts and the salad both – YUMMY!
Oh that sounds like a wonderful meal Arthel – thanks for sharing how you used the vinaigrette!
Wow! What an amazing recipe. Never thought to make tomato vinaigrette, but you know I’ll be trying it! Thanks so much.
Thank you John – hope you get the chance to give it a try.
This vinaigrette looks SO good 😀
Delicious colour!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks CCU!
Saw this on Pinterest and now I want to have it right now!! I guess I’ll have to wait for the weekend and the farmers market tho 😀
it’s almost the weekend now Karin! 😉
Love that you’ve bottled up summer so deliciously 🙂
Thanks Kiran – a good way to make summer last!
wow looks sogood!
Thank you Ali 🙂
What a great recipe to savor the last bit of summer and use up any ripe tomatoes! A month from now sweet, juicy, ripe tomatoes will just be a memory.