TOMATO SALAD

Still Biergarten weather in/near Berlin for the coming days. Here comes another summer or Biergarten classic at casa zwick. I make this salad quite often when I have the chance to find high-quality tomatoes, as it is such a refreshing&wonderful dish in summer times. In the deep south of Germany or Lake of Constance (border to Switzerland) where I come from this dish is a must-served in summer times.

The greatness of this dish lies in its simplicity or less is more. The secret besides the ripe&sweet tomatoes is the red onion and the cooling of the salad. AND salt.


Ingredients

800-1000g tomatoes

1 red onion

3 tbsp vinegar (me: high quality Aceto Balsamico)

10 tbsp olive oil

salt&pepper



Preparation

  1. Chopp the tomatoes and put in a bowl

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  1. Then add chopped onion in little cubes or in thinly slices to the tomatoes

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  1. Also add salt&pepper

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  1. In addition vinegar&olive oil

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  1. Combine everything and put in the fridge for 2-3h or longer with lid

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  1. Remove from the fridge 15min before serving. Serve with baguette&bread and a chilled Rosé. ENJOY

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1 Like

Where is the fresh basil?

No basil. Keep it simple! That’s the trick.

Looks amazing … definitely on my list for this summer even if I get anxious at any mention of chilling tomatoes!


Thanks Martin!

I know, I know…but it works. There has to be a reason why it is a Classic in south Germany.

1 Like

P.S.

it‘s à german dish. :wink:

What does chilling the tomatoes do for this salad?

+1 on red onion.

Would you use white balsamic?
[ducks waiting for the scorn of Jay]

I’m. Guessing the answer to questions about Basil etc is the quality of the tomatoes. With store bought tomatoes I’d absolutely put a little basil in there.

I made it tonight for dinner. I forgot to add the basil but I added a couple of tiny mozz balls because that was easy. I used Nola’s Olive Oil and Nola’s sherry vinegar. Worked great.

It’s refreshing in summer times. The German answer to the Spanish Gaspacho.

AND a kind of chemical reaction I can’t explain.

Fair to say it is useful to put the salad 15min out of the fridge before serving.

Of course, any kind of vinegar.

No basil, no basil, no basil

Let me quote 2 people from Great Britain who also made this dish/recipe last night:


“Delicious. I gave it a full 3 hours in fridge but served straight from fridge. Next time might take it out 15 mins before. But a cracking, simple summer salad.” Tom Cannavan


“Took it out fifteen minutes beforehand as it was the obvious thing to do. The big surprise is how everything is somehow sweeter. I used a mix not dissimilar to the one Andrew shows. Heritage box from Isle of Wight.

I’m wondering if the vinegar and salt mix sucks the sugar out of the red onion?”

Mark Palmer

NO BASIL

Why are you such bullheaded?!The Brits made it like I recommended and now they are happy.

More possible explanstion regarding the special sweetness of this Salad after 2-3h in the fridge.

„ I’d have thought it might suck the water out, resulting in a higher concentration of sugars? Osmosis & all that?“

Alex Lake

This is on my list to make this Summer. Thanks.

Do you think some basil might improve it?

newhere



Look forward to trying it once the Farmers Markets start getting in local tomatoes.

Wouldn’t the chilling amp up the perception of acid in the tomatoes. Most of the year, that’s not a problem here.

I am going to try this. I like the idea of the onion and vinegar.

Essentially a greek tomato salad without the cucumber or feta. I love this prep, particularly the red onion. I like the onion sliced very thinly, so you don’t get chunks that overpower the tomatoes. I think the process is essentially just a very quick, light pickling.

I’v recently been really liking red onion after not for … forever. Somehow it’s just the right intensity.

I’m a non-basil generally … it somehow interferes with the best of tomato.

I agree, the onions are a little bit too big this time. Normally I cut them thinner or in very little cubes.

Just for the record, I also like to add basil when I make the Tuscan version together with Ciabatta. Really great. But this version is German and benefits from NO basil.

Or sometimes I add aragula/rocket, as we have a lot of spciy aragula in the garden. Much much better version than from the supermarket. But this is also a different kind of animal.