I’m glad there are so many ways to use tomatoes because I have a truckload of them right now.
First of all, I’m thrilled with these beautiful heart-shaped heirlooms because they are not only beautiful but also juicy, meaty, and not so loaded with seeds. There is a lot to love about these heart-shaped beauties.
So, I’m starting with a simple Caprese salad recipe with a bit of a twist—adding black olive pesto, which can not only substitute for a dressing but also be smeared on some nice crusty bread.
You can use any olives you like for this, be it kalamata, natural black, or even green (of course, that would make it ’green olive pesto)! I’ve not tried with green, but it might just be worth a try.
Anyway, we loved this! As written, the recipe serves two, with pesto leftovers to experiment with. It is easily multiplied for more servings.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Black Olive Pesto
You will need a blender or food processor/chopper for this recipe.
For the Salad
- 2-3 heirloom tomatoes
- 1 ball burrata cheese
- ¼ cup red onion
- A large handful of basil leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the Pesto
- 1-½ cups pitted black olives
- 1-3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup minced walnuts
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ~ ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Crusty bread for serving
Make the pesto first:
Chop the walnuts in a blender or food processor. Add the garlic cloves and break them down a bit, then add the olives, Parmesan, and thyme leaves; process. Drizzle in the olive oil using the opening at the top of the processor and process until smooth and to your liking. Taste and adjust for salt, if needed. The olives may just be salty enough not to need any.
For the salad, arrange the tomatoes on a plate, then break the burrata on top of them. Scatter the red onion, then add salt and pepper. Lastly, sprinkle the basil leaves over everything and serve with the pesto.
The pesto is especially good spread on the bread with the tomatoes and cheese on top. Yum!
