Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Not to get off on a rant but I am pretty much at the point of boycotting out of season tomatoes.

Knowing what a ripe, in season, locally grown tomato tastes like... I find it very hard to accept anything less. So for the better part of the year, I am looking for alternatives to the hard, mealy opaque things that they call tomatoes in the grocery store.

Sun dried tomatoes offer an alternative with their rich flavor. OK... not a perfect fit but a functional fir. Sun dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil are just not the same as the real deal. None the less, these little tomato "leathers" are versatile, packed with rich flavor, nutritionally beneficial and have an amazing shelf life.

With all the leafy greens that have been coming with the CSA, I thought that I would offer up this recipe as an alternative to the tomato dilemma I have shared with you.

In addition to salad greens, this recipe is excellent on pasta salads and even a replacement for canned tomato sauce. The vinaigrette can be served at room temperature or warmed - your choice. It will store for up to one week in the refrigerator in an air tight container making it available for multiple uses during the week.

Note: Not to contradict myself, this recipe does call for "fresh" tomatoes. For the purposes of the recipe, they are being used for liquid and texture and less for flavor.

Ingredients:

12 fresh basil leaves
8 sun dried tomatoes
2 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
hot water - soaking liquid

Process:

1) Rehydrate the sun dried tomatoes in hot water for 20-30 minutes until soft

2) Seed and chop the tomato into rough cuts

3) Remove basil leaves from stems

4) When sun dried tomatoes are soft, remove - save the soaking liquid

5) Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor plus 6 tbsp of soaking liquid

6) Puree and adjust for taste. If the vinaigrette is too thick for your liking add additional soaking liquid with a little olive oil and mix to desired texture