Dry-Farmed Tomato Salad with Avocado, Purple Basil and Shallots

If you've never had an Early Girl dry-farmed tomato, you really are missing out on something special. As I mentioned before, I used to hate tomatoes. These are spectacularly different that the pathetic things they try to sling at most grocery stores. Basically, the farmers cut back on the irrigation, forcing to roots to grow deep to find water, which keeps the flavor concentrated. They are amazing. I found some dry-farmed tomatoes at my Whole Foods, but the best ones came from my little farmer's market. You don't need to do much to enjoy these. I happened to have a package of haloumi cheese sitting in the fridge, so I grilled that and tossed it in, but you don't need it at all. I'll keep this simple:

6-8 medium dry-farmed tomatoes, sliced

1 organic avocado, chopped

1 shallot (or some red onion), sliced

10 purple basil leaves (or green), torn or chopped

drizzle of EVOO and balsamic vinegar to taste

pinch of salt

1 package haloumi cheese, grilled and sliced (optional)

Toss ingredients together and enjoy.