Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

I never used to like sun-dried tomatoes because they always seemed too sweet. So, I was surprised when one day this spring I had a real craving for them. It was the season for fresh baby romaine and I dreamed up a dressing that tickled the fancy of my salt loving palate while fulfilling my craving for a sweet and acidic bite. I kept the left over sauce in the fridge and finished it off on a quinoa salad with radish, beets and peas. I served the dish to my apprentices last Monday and they encouraged me to share it with the rest of you. If you just can’t wait for tomato season, give this a shot! Enjoy and happy summer!

Soak ¼ cup of dried tomatoes in ½ cup of organic extra virgin olive oil for 8 hours or overnight. Once the tomatoes have softened somewhat add 2 cloves of fresh, juicy garlic, a few twists of fresh ground black pepper, fresh basil leaves (or oregano if you don’t have basil) and 1 Tbs. of naturally fermented tamari sauce. You can also add a few shavings of lemon zest if you wish. Blend it all together in the blander until most of the tomato chunks are gone.

You can use this sauce fresh on salads, with steamed or grilled veggies, bread and cheese, over hard-boiled eggs or tossed with grains. It will also keep well in the refrigerator for later use (the oil will solidify at colder temperatures, but it will become liquid again once removed from the fridge).