Summertime and I’m taking it easy. Mondays have been my Farmer’s Market day this summer and they never disappoint. Tomatoes are EVERYWHERE at the moment and I couldn’t be happier. My favorite varieties are all of the gorgeous multicolored heirloom tomatoes, they just look stunning. I had bought some without any plan on what to make with them and after some thought came up with a Heirloom Tomato Arugula Salad with Fresh Mozzarella .
Why heirloom tomatoes?
Heirloom tomatoes are a variety of tomato that has been passed down through several generations. They are super important because they help diversify our food source and they are often naturally resistant to certain pests and diseases. The thing that I love about heirloom tomatoes is the taste. I’ve found that they are naturally more flavorful and have a much more robust flavor than commercial varieties. While these may not look like the perfect cherry red tomato, they come in a full array of colors, shapes and sizes and are all delicious!
I used to work on a small farm when I was a teenager and one of our larger crops was tomatoes. We grew both commercial and heirloom varieties and in our neck of the woods the heirloom varieties ruled. Being from New Hampshire there were a lot of small local farms that have been in families for generations. So growing heirloom tomatoes was not a foreign concept. When I moved to NYC and first started visiting the Farmer’s Market there were little to no varieties of heirloom tomatoes. But over the past 5 years or so these have become SO popular that they are everywhere now! And I couldn’t be more excited 😀
I still have more tomatoes and I need to think of what to do next! Maybe I should pickle them or make tomato sauce and freeze it for winter? Oh man, there are just too many options!
Heirloom Tomato Arugula Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Pounds Heirloom Tomatoes
- 4 Cups Arugula
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil Chopped
- 1 Cup Fresh Mozzarella Cubed
- 2 Tsp Minced Garlic
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Begin by slicing tomatoes into large chunks and placing into a large bowl.
- Stir in arugula and basil.
- Sprinkle fresh mozzarella into bowl.
- Season with garlic and season generously with salt and pepper and stir to combine (make sure to do a taste test to see if you need more seasoning!).
- Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy!
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