You Say Tomato...! Third Place Winner: Simple Salad Dressing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Salad Dressing

Third Place Winner in the Preserves & Condiments Category

submitted by Jessie Hillinger of Hilo, HI

 

2 large fresh tomatoes

1 handful fresh basil leaves

6 - 8 garlic cloves

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey or more, to taste

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 small red Hawaiian chile pepper, seeded

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh gound pepper to tste

3/4 exta virgin olive oil

 

Cut Xs in the bottom of the tomatoes and plunge in hot boiling water to peel skin off.  Put into blender.

Wash the basil leaves under running water and add to the blender with water still clinging.

Add peeled and mashed garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard and salt.  Add fresh chile pepper if you like a kick! (may omit)

Turn blender to median speed and when blended add olive oil a little at a time.

Grind in black pepper to taste

Refrigerate if not used immediately.  Yields 1 pint.

Sonia's note: The judges all agreed this dressing could be almost eaten as a gazpacho type summer soup! 

 

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Sonia R. Martinez is a Gather Food Correspondent.

You can keep up with Tropical Taste a regular twice-monthly feature of Gather Essentials: Food

Sonia is a cookbook author and freelance food writer for several publications in Hawaii and is also a Hawaii Island Journal restaurant reviewer in partnership with her son Anthony Mathis.

She lives in a beautiful rural rainforest area on the Big Island of Hawaii
You can keep up with her adventures and ongoing love affair with Hawaii in her food & garden blog at Sonia Tastes Hawaii and her Gather contributions by clicking on http://foodiesleuth.gather.com/