As a single mother of toddler twins and the owner of a busy catering company I’m obsessed with finding shortcuts to ease the day-to-day pandemonium that is my life. Being a chef you would think I’d have creative solutions to the ever burning question-”What’s for dinner??” Not so much.
By the end of a typical day in Event-ville we’ve cooked for 100 guests, and I can barely keep my eyes open let alone cook for my kids. In these instances I like to do what I’ve termed “Back to Basics”. This entails picking up seasonal produce from my local market and making a go of dinner. Last night I knew our meal was going to be a hit when my son popped a stray cherry tomato from my cutting board into his mouth and exclaimed “More candy Mommy!” Who knew tomatoes could trump Gummi Bears?
Summer Candy Salad
1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half
5 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
Small handful of Basil leaves, torn
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Serves 4
The key to a delicious salad is to salt the tomatoes generously as this will bring out the flavors.
For a beautiful look cut the tomatoes into different sizes (some in half;some in quarters)
For extra zing (and protein) add one can of drained cannellini beans.
1. Gently mix all ingredients and serve with crusty bread.
