Recipe of the Week - Heirloom Tomato and Arugula Salad

I was in a real quandry this week about the recipe for my post. I have been thinking about autumn foods. I have been setting my mind to squash and apples and things to roast and bake and make hearty soups from. On the other hand, it happens to be 27 C in Toronto and I'm still wearing shorts and sandals. So I decided to leave dinner and my TreeHugger post to fate. My husband and I set out under the blazing sun to see what was on offer at the local farmer's market. This was my first foray to the market since returning from the cottage and although there were fewer vendors than in July, I was delighted to see that there was still plenty to choose from. We ended up with quite a vegetable haul and only stopped because we ran out of cash. The great treat was to find that we were not too late in the season to sample the heirloom tomatoes. So there was the centrepiece of my dinner; Along with a huge head of arugula, a head of soft leaf lettuce and a touch of fresh basil I made a simple salad with the tomatoes. I decided the ingredients deserved something other than my default throw together vinaigrette, so I checked out the October Gourmet Magazine which had just landed on my doorstep and there it was - a simple, elegant dressing from Alice Waters. Then my husband pointed out that Jasmin had just done a post on Alice Waters. Sometimes when you leave things to the last minute magic happens.

Salad

Variety of heirloom tomatoes
1/2 arugula
1/2 head leaf lettuce
several sprigs of fresh basil

Salad Dressing

2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp fine-quality aged red-wine vinegar
1 tsp fine-quality balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
pepper

1. Stir together shallot, garlic, vinegars and sea salt and let stand 20 minutes.
2. Add 1/2 tsp of ground pepper, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking.
3. Toss salad with just enough dressing to coat. Serve immediately.

This recipe appears in the October 2007 Gourmet Magazine under the title Fall Salad with Radishes