Fresh Tomato Salad with Mint Pesto
Classic Pesto is made with basil. Mint, which is in the same family, also makes a tasty sauce. Use it as a dressing, as we do here, or as a dip for steamed vegetables, or as a spread on sandwiches.
There are a couple of key factors to serving marvelous-tasting tomatoes: Start with the best tomatoes you can find, preferably luscious and truly ripe, and do not under any circumstances refrigerate them before using.
Ingredients
FOR THE MINT PESTO
- 1 cup firmly packed mint leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts pignoli
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ to ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 medium-sized ripe beefsteak tomatoes
Instructions
- Wash the mint leaves and pat them dry.
- In a food processor, combine the mint leaves, garlic, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil in a thin stream. Add just enough oil (about 1⁄2 cup) so that the sauce has a consistency that can be spooned.
- Wash, core, and slice the tomatoes 4 inch thick. Arrange the tomato slices, overlapping them slightly, on a serving platter. With a spoon, drizzle the pesto over the tomatoes. The salad can stand up to 1 hour at room temperature before serving.