Minty Heirloom Tomato and Ricotta Salata Salad
Okay, I came back from the east coast this week, stopping in Chicago where it was cool and brisk and autumnal and gorgeous, as it should be in October. I stepped off the plane (admittedly a little crabby due to my American Airlines 4-hour delay) into a hellish heat—I think it was 100º–and I almost wept but thought better of it and just cursed.
So what do you do when, after a flirtation with fabulous Midwestern fall, you are faced with the endless uber-summer of L.A., which at this time of year is simply the wrong temperature for body or soul?
You eat a tomato. If we have to endure this unnatural non-season, let’s at least enjoy the fruits of it.
I bought some heirloom tomatoes, which will be in abundance here for a while, and sliced ‘em up with some ricotta salata cheese. Add olive oil and mint and you can almost forget how irritable you are….that is until you try to jump on the 405…don’t get me started…
Minty Heirloom Tomato and Ricotta Salata Salad
2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
½ pound ricotta salata cheese, sliced thin
¼ cup good quality olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Yield: 4 servings
Arrange the sliced tomatoes and cheese on a platter, overlapping them. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the tomatoes and cheese. Sprinkle the mint on top, then a little salt and pepper.
Serve with bread.
Tags: heirloom tomato recipes, ricotta salata, summer salads, tomato salad, uses for mint
