Tomatoes with Basil on Himalayan Sea Salt Block

Never have I ever had such flavorful tomatoes. Ever. Homegrown tomatoes are worth the effort, aren't they? If fresh tomatoes are your thing, you must try seasoning them on a salt block. Imagine turning up the flavor to the point it is almost too intense. That's what the salt block does. 

The build-up started in winter, painstakingly choosing tomato varieties out of seed catalogs, dreaming of tasting the first one of the season. Now, after all that time and concern, the fruit of our labor is ripe! 

This Cherokee Purple tomato is like a work of art, perfectly round and deeply colorful. It is my third tomato of the season. Oh, they are precious, those first few. It tasted even better than my imagination.

Luckily for us, our daughter bought her dad this Himalayan salt block for Father's Day. 

It was a perfect gift for him. He loves cooking and cooking gadgets, trying new recipes and experimenting. We had never heard of cooking on a block of salt. Apparently it's a thing. There are whole cookbooks about it. Ours is about 1 1/2 inches thick and it rests in a metal tray. When it was new it was pale pink, now it is stained from using it to cook meat on the barbecue. 

It is incredible how the salt block intensifies the flavor of the tomatoes. Just place the slices on the block for one minute per side (or less) and sprinkle some chopped basil on top (or not). The juice of the tomato causes the salt block to melt a bit, evenly infusing the tomato with salt. 

I tell you, the flavor will knock your socks off. 

Thank you, dear daughter, for the Father's Day gift.

Love, 

Mom

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