Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Glorious August!

August: the month of tomatoes and basil! I bought two bunches of basil from Budwood Farms at the Hillcrest Farmer's market on Sunday (my new favorite market), clipped the ends when I got home, and placed them in a cup of room temperature water. They perked right up. The man at the stand promised that they would last at least a week, possibly longer, in that state. Using tomatoes that came in our weekly CSA allotment I made this simple salad:


Ingredients
3 Tbsp. apple vinegar (red wine vinegar would have been better)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil (chiffonade - stack the basil leaves on top of each other, roll tightly, and then slice into thin ribbons)
3 large tomatoes (cut into large chunks)
1 cucumber (peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces)

I combined the vinegar, salt, and pepper with a whisk until the salt was dissolved. I then added the basil and olive oil and stirred gently until well mixed. After placing the chopped tomato and cucumber in a separate bowl, I poured the basil dressing over the top.


There is nothing like the smell of fresh basil on a hot August evening. I was delirious with it. Quickly pick up some for yourself before the season ends!

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