Tomato & Sweet Onion Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

simple summer salad for a crowd...

This 4th of July weekend was full of family, friends, and of course food. We celebrated on both Friday and Saturday so I had plenty of opportunity to make something yummy, but I also wanted to relax. So, what's easier than a salad? This recipe came from one of my husband's family members - thanks Marcie! - and I told her I'd post it to my blog one day. Well, that day is here, and what a yummy salad this was.

For this blue series I'll be focusing on Gorgonzola cheese. It's similar to blue cheese, but in my opinion, a little more mild. So, if you aren't a big fan of blue cheese, you might try Gorgonzola. The cheese in the vinaigrette is precisely what makes this salad so delicious and different. This side salad serves a crowd, so make it for your next party. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 10-12
Vinaigrette
1/2 C White Wine Vinegar
3/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C Fresh Parsley, minced
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 (5oz.) Container Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
Salad
2 Heads Romain Lettuce, torn
1 Large Vidalia (sweet) Onion, sliced
5-6 Tomatoes, sliced
2-3 Sprigs Fresh Parsley, torn
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper

Directions
Prepare the lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and parsley.

Make the vinaigrette: In a bowl combine the white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, and black pepper. Whisk together. Add the Gorgonzola cheese, stir, and set aside.

Arrange the salad: On a large platter put down a bed of the torn Romain lettuce. Top with the sliced sweet onion and then the tomatoes. Finally, sprinkle on the parsley and a little salt and pepper. Serve with the Gorgonzola vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato Margarita Pizza

"To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,

Home again, home again, dancing a jig;
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog;

Home again, home again, jiggety-jog;

To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,

Home again, home again, market is done."

 

In an effort to take in the last summer has to give (I know fall started 9/22) my husband and I have been frequenting the local farmer's market on Sundays. We love to go and see what everyone has to offer, try new things, and buy old favorites. On our last trip I noticed how wonderful the tomatoes were and decided to celebrate them in my next post.

Well, here we are. For this second rainbow series post I've made a Heirloom Tomato Margarita Pizza. Red, orange, yellow, green, even purple tomatoes decorate this dish with both flavor and color. This recipe is quite simple, but I find that high quality ingredients beg for little fuss in preparation. Grab a few heirloom tomatoes, some cheese, and dough for your next pizza night and make this dish. It will be gone just as quickly as summer. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients - Serves 4
1lb. Fresh Pizza Dough
1T Cornmeal (or Cooking Spray)
1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1T Italian Seasoning
1 1/2C Shredded Mozzarella
1lb. Heirloom Tomatoes, thinly sliced
Purple Basil, such as Opal
Kosher Salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a pizza stone by sprinkling the cornmeal on top. If not using a pizza stone, spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Strech or roll the dough out to fit your pizza stone or tray. Top the dough with the olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Spread out to cover the entire surface. Top with cheese and the thinly sliced tomatoes. I overlap the tomatoes and put them in a circle spiraling toward the center.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. The crust should be brown and the tomatoes bubbling. Top with a sprinkling of salt and torn basil. Allow the pizza to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Saver the last of summer...to market, to market!