Dutchess County is one of my favorite geographical spots. Aside from the Hudson River Valley's beautiful landscape, another thing makes Dutchess so good is the farmers' stands. The kindness of farmers and the vegetables are a blessing. To me August is the perfect month to get loss in Dutchess and pick perfect tomatoes from the farmer stands.
I can just eat these red jewels with a little salt and pepper, but if I have guest, I like serving a tomato salad either as a starter dish, or a complement to a main dish. This is my favorite tomato salad recipe.
Ingredients for 2 servings
1 palmful of crumbled feta cheese
1 small basket of ripe grape (or cherry) tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
1 ripe heirloom tomato, cored and sliced into wedges
1 Table spoon of scallions (or mint, or basil or your favorite tomato-mate herb)
For Dressing
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
1/4 tablesoon of raw local honey
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Mix the dressing ingredients minus oil, and then whisk in the oil till the emulsification takes place (i.e., it looks like a salad dressing). Mix the salad ingredients and and dressing. Sometimes I like adding caper to the mix, but I'll leave that to you. Please enjoy and let me know of any variation you find irresistible
