sunset tomato salad (with mushroom risotto)

I didn't get a great picture of this tomato salad, which Nathan and I made a couple of months ago. I normally make tomato salads with balsamic vinaigrette, basil, garlic and parsley, but when we didn't have garlic in the house, Nathan picked this out of his Sunset cookbook, and it proved to be a great alternative.

Unsurprisingly, considering it comes from a California lifestyle magazine, this tomato salad has a distinct Mexican flair, with spicy polano pepper and zesty lime juice, but make no mistake, this is tomato salad, not salsa. It was fresh and delicious, if slightly spicier than I would have liked.

Also, it was an excellent accompaniment to our famous mushroom risotto.




You have to serve something colorful along something so brown, you know?

Tomato Salad with Chile and Lime
from The Sunset Cookbook, 2010, p. 147

2 lb ripe tomatoes
1 large mild green chile, such as poblano
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp dry mustard

Core and halve tomatoes. Remove seeds (either scoop them out with a spoon or squeeze them out) and cut tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Put tomatoes in a large bowl.

Remove stem and seeds from chile. Finely chop chile and add to tomatoes. Set aside.

In a small bow, whisk together oil, lime juice, salt, and mustard until emulsified.

Drizzle dressing over tomatoes and chiles and toss gently to combine. Add more salt to taste if you like. Serve at room temperature.