What makes it special?
The experience of visiting my local farmstand market on a sunny Saturday morning, with my dog, and perusing the stalls and all their beautiful fruits and veggies is what gave me inspiration for this dish and what makes it special.
It truly is about the connection between the folks who grew the vegetables and the love and effort they put into the whole process that it took to get that pepper or that tomato or that zucchini from seedling to the perfectly ripe version that they brought to the farmer’s market for you and I to take home and enjoy.
What veggies do I look for?
All farmer’s markets will vary based on what grows best in your region and the time of year. This salad is about celebrating the bounty of what’s available so if you can’t find exactly what’s in the recipe just find something you like and use the recipe as a guideline. Trust me, it will turn out better that way.
Zucchini
Look for firm, medium sized yellow and green zucchini with bright, vibrant colors. Avoid any that are too soft or turning a darker hue of yellow or green
Heirloom Tomatoes
Look for a variety colors of ripe but firm heirloom tomatoes. I prefer the medium and smaller sized ones for a salad itself and the big ones for when I’m making a fresh tomato sauce (or this tomato water vinaigrette) because the bigger ones tend to get mushy easily and just have more water content overall.
Purple Peppers
I chose a purple pepper for my tomato and onion salad because of the color. It was just too pretty to pass by and, yes, sometimes I do shop like that. A pop of color is not only beautiful on the plate, but it often has people asking what that is or saying it’s their first time to try one, which is fun. Purple peppers are not as sweet as the yellow and red variety though. They have a little bite to them, even. Not spicy but tart. You could use an eggplant instead or just a different colored pepper if you prefer a sweeter note.
Beets
I love beets and the ones from the local farmstand are the best, so fresh and sweet. Look for healthy and vibrant beet greens to indicate that they were just harvested. You can save the beet greens and sauté them with garlic and olive oil and add them to the salad, too. I used golden beets in this recipe, but a variety of golden and purple beets would be delicious too. And colorful!
Red Onion & Shallot
While red onion and shallot may look similar, they actually each have their own flavor profile and purpose. I used the red onion, sliced thin, in the beet salad because it pairs really well with that and is more pungent. The shallot us milder and has a hint of garlic flavor, which makes it perfect for any kind of vinaigrette (like this Tomato Water-Shallot Vinaigrette).
Fresh Basil
Honestly, there really is nothing like the smell of fresh basil. It brings a hint of sweetness and brightness to any dish and goes beautifully with our salads as a garnish as well as in the vinaigrette. Basil is so delicate and doesn’t last as long as other fresh herbs so when I buy it at the farmer’s market, I like to use it up in as many ways as possible!
Farmer’s Market Veggie Salad Trio with Tomato Water -Shallot Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
Beets
- 2 medium yellow beets, or 1 each golden and purple
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Drizzle of champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons goat cheese
- ¼ tsp salt
- Fresh ground pepper
Tomato Water Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup tomato water (insides of tomatoes less skins) approx. 2 tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons shallot (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
- 3-4 sprigs fresh basil
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Zucchini & Squash
- ½ yellow squash, cut lengthwise and sliced paper thin
- ½ green zucchini, cut lengthwise and sliced paper thin
- 1 Tablespoon lemons juice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dill
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper
Tomato & Peppers
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, quartered
- 1 purple heirloom pepper or red or yellow bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 tsp Fresno chili pepper or pinch of red pepper flakes(optional)
- 2-3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1-ounce fresh goat cheese
- Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoons tomato water vinaigrette (see above)
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 400. Wash beets and cut off ends. Reserve 1 of the beets and rub the other two in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap each beet individually in foil, adding in a few springs of the fresh thyme in each packet. Roast beets for 60 minutes for until fork tender. Remove from oven and foil and let cool, then peel and keep whole until ready to assemble salad.
- Make vinaigrette. In the bowl of a small food processor add in tomato water, shallot, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to combine. Add in olive oil and blend until well emulsified. Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.
- Not more than an hour or so ahead prepare the zucchini. Cut off the tops and ends and slice them in half and then lengthwise into paper thin pieces (a mandoline helps). In a bowl whisk together the lemon juice, dill, olive oil, and salt and pepper and then gently toss the zucchini in the mixture. The idea is to impart flavor but not let the zucchini get mushy). Set aside or refrigerate.
- Quarter beets and cut tomatoes and peppers.
- Assemble salads on the serving platter.
- Place the beets & red onions on the serving platter in a mound and lightly drizzle with olive oil, vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Then top with goat cheese and pine nuts.
- Drain any excess liquid from the marinated zucchini and gently place in a loose mound on the platter. You could add extra dill as a garnish if desired.
- Place the tomato and pepper salad in a third mound on the platter and drizzle with tomato water vinaigrette with the remaining dressing in a small dish on the side.
Kitchenware:
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Box grater or citrus juicer with jar attached
- Mini food processor
- Whisk
- Medium bowl
- Mandoline or veggie peeler
- Container for vinaigrette
Presentation:
As with most dishes, it’s partly the presentation that makes this salad trio special. Instead of a large salad with all the combinations of vegetables in one dish, we’ve really highlighted our farmstand vegetables by separating them into three distinct salads with distinct flavors. To best present these I suggest a white platter that is rectangular and long or a large square platter. White works best to show off those gorgeous vegetable colors.
I found my oblong serving dish at Home Goods, which is always a deal. Here are few more ideas of platters that I like and have similar, if not the same, versions at home for entertaining.
