So few ingredients and so much flavor—as long as the ingredients are of high quality! Omit the basil if you can’t find any, but where there are good tomatoes there is probably good basil. Add slices of mozzarella to make this more substantial.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 medium tomatoes, perfectly ripe
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Step 1
Core the tomatoes (cut a cone-shaped wedge out of the stem end) and cut them into slices about 1/4 inch thick.
Step 2
Lay the tomatoes on a platter or 4 individual plates. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.
Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
