with burrata, pesto, and pine nuts

Tomato season is nearly over, but I hope you get to try this very simple salad before they are gone. Although it is incredibly simple (dare I say, almost not even a recipe), it really does highlight the freshness and flavor of these gems.

Now to be sure, you can certainly make this with regular tomatoes, but the varied colors and shapes of the heirlooms make for a beautiful platter and presentation. It’s simple, requires no cooking, is a terrific addition to any dinner, takes minutes to put together and is absolute tomato heaven!

I saw this on the cover (her picture is much better than mine!) of this cookbook, by Jennifer Segal, and I had to buy it, just for that picture and recipe. However, there are 100 recipes in her cookbook (and certainly worth the purchase), all delicious and most are quite simple.

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. heirloom tomatoes, different colors and shapes
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 fresh buratta balls, 8-10 oz. each
1/2 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
1/4 pine nuts, toasted
baby arugula
fresh basil leaves
drizzle extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
First, line the bottom of your platter with baby arugula. Then cut the tomatoes, some into quarters, some slices, and some uneven chunks. Next, arrange them on your platter, sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Cut or tear the burrata in chunks and randomly arrange over the tomatoes. Drizzle the pesto over the top, sprinkle with the pine nuts, add a slight drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

NOTES
To toast the pine nuts, just add them to a dry skillet, and toast them on medium heat. Please be sure to stay close by, they can burn in an instant. I actually toast all of the pine nuts when I buy them, cool them and put them in a glass jar in the fridge. That way they are at the ready when I want to add a handful to a salad and you’re not toasting them each time you want to use them.

Good, healthy granola bars are always a big hit and these are pretty simple to pull together. They have none of the additives and preservatives that you find in too many store bought versions. A friend was kind enough to share this recipe with me and I have made just a couple of minor modifications.

This makes upwards of 40 bars, depending on how you cut them. So, feel free to half the recipe if you like and the roughly twenty bars might be a more manageable quantity. However, if you are in need of a good bake sale item, these would be a terrific choice since it makes so many.

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter
2 cups (400g) sugar
1/2 cup (170g) honey
3 oz. milk (91g)
5 cups (15oz.) rolled oats
1 1/2 cups flour
3 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3 cups mixed dried fruit & nuts, diced
(I used 1 cup chopped dates, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup dried cherries and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350º
First, grease and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Then, add the first four ingredients to a medium saucepan and on medium heat, melt together until fully liquid. Then, combine the next five ingredients in a large bowl. When the melted mixture is done, pour it over the dry ingredients. Stir to fully incorporate and finally, fold in the fruit and nut mixture.

Next, pour the fully combined mixture onto the prepared sheet pan and pat down firmly to condense and pack the ingredients. Put a sheet of wax paper over the mixture and take another sheet pan, put it on top of the wax paper and push down to fully compact the mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool completely and cut into your desired shape.

This does make a whole sheet pans worth, which is about 40+ bars, depending on the size you cut them and they are a bit sticky and chewy, but delicious!

NOTES
The variations for this are endless. You choose the dried fruits that you like, the nuts and almost anything else you want to add. Think chocolate, peanut butter, apricots or sesame seeds. The list is quite long, experiment and have fun with the combinations.