Tomato Carpaccio

20Jun09

Traditional carpaccio combines thinly sliced meat with arugula and Parmesan cheese, but the other day I saw Michael Chiarello do a tomato-style version. I didn’t bother with his herb vinegarette or slicing the tomatoes two ways. Instead, I sliced tomatoes, arranged them in a shallow bowl and let them sit at room temperature to absorb the salt, pepper and olive oil I sprinkled on. Arugula needs little more than a lemon and olive oil dressing and some shavings of Parmesan to make this a perfect summer side.

This dish doesn’t need a formal recipe, but check out Michael’s more elaborate version here. For a simpler approach, use as many tomatoes as you need for the size of your group, trust your instincts when lightly dressing the salad (start with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and gradually whisk in olive oil), and you can’t make a mistake.

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