Ina garten on a designed background with rotating tomatoes Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai | Credit: Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai
Ina garten on a designed background with rotating tomatoes Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai | Credit: Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai
Ina garten on a designed background with rotating tomatoes Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai | Credit: Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai
Ina garten on a designed background with rotating tomatoes
Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai | Credit: Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai
| Credit: Getty Images / OLEG525 / Noam Galai
When you hear reviews for a dish that rave, “I simply cannot tell you how good this is,” “phenomenal” and “through-the-roof delicious!” you might imagine we’re referring to a luscious ice cream, towering layer cake or perhaps a juicy steak.
But get this: All of these reviews are real, and they’re about a simple tomato salad. Seriously! And we’re already counting down until we can try this oh-so-summery creation from none other than our ultimate entertaining guide, Ina Garten.
“Heirloom Tomatoes with Herbed Ricotta is such a versatile dish. Sometimes I serve it family-style as a first course, it’s great on a buffet and makes a really nice summer lunch,” she says.
Start with heirloom tomatoes from your vegetable garden, farmers market or supermarket. Slice the larger ones into bite-sized pieces, and keep the larger tomatoes whole. If possible, Garten suggests utilizing a variety of hues: red, yellow, green, orange or multicolor.
“I love all of the colors together, and what’s interesting is each one tastes a little different from the others,” Garten says.
No matter which color, size or shape you use, “don’t refrigerate tomatoes. It really changes the flavor and the texture,” she advises.
One of the keys to the salad, Garten says as she tosses the ingredients together to combine, is to allow it to rest for 30 minutes before serving. That way, the “saltiness can get into the tomatoes and flavor the whole thing.”
Now it’s time to turn to the ricotta. You can either make your own (once you do “you’ll never go back to store-bought,” she says) or buy some from the store. The final step is to dress up the creamy cheese by folding in chopped chives, dill, scallions, salt and pepper.
To serve this salad family-style, scoop the herbed ricotta in the middle of a large plate or platter. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the salted sweet tomatoes in a ring around the ricotta.
“I like using really good ingredients, and just letting them taste like themselves,” Garten says. (Preach, Ina!)
We sure do, Ina, and are heading to our herb garden right after the workday to gather basil so we can add this Heirloom Tomatoes with Herbed Ricotta dish to our dinner menu. Perhaps alongside one or two of these, our 41 best healthy summer recipes. Is it 6 p.m. yet?
