This recipe is from Hetty Lou McKinnon via the NYT Cooking section. If you click through to her recipes, many f them feel like comfort food. This was absolutely delicious, and probably not as heart or diabetic friendly as it could/should be. The tomatoes were from the garden, hooray!

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 2½ pounds ripe tomatoes (any variety), cut into roughly 1- to 2-inch pieces (at room temperature)
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• ½ cup basil leaves, torn
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound frozen potsticker dumplings (not thawed)
• Neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
• 1 to 2 tablespoons store-bought crispy fried shallots (optional)

For the Chile Crisp Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons chile crisp (or chile oil)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste

Directions

Place the tomatoes on a large serving plate or in a bowl. Add the garlic, half the basil leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt and a big pinch of black pepper. Toss to combine and set aside.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the chile crisp, rice vinegar and soy sauce and whisk to combine. If it needs more saltiness, add ½ teaspoon more soy sauce.

Heat a large (12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium high for 1 to 2 minutes until very hot. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil and, working in batches, add the dumplings, flat-side down, and cook until the bottoms of the dumplings are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately add about ¼ cup of water to the pan, just enough to cover the base of the dumplings, then cover and cook until the water has evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. (If your dumplings contain meat, cook for an extra 1 to 2 minutes, or according to packet instructions). Transfer the cooked dumplings to a plate and continue cooking the remaining dumplings.

To serve, place the warm dumplings over the tomato salad and drizzle with the chile crisp vinaigrette. Toss very gently. Top with the crispy fried shallots (if using) and the remaining basil leaves. I heated the tomatoes, because of personal preference, but you do you. Serve either while the dumplings are still warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition per serving:

Nary a clue.

Elliecoo Rating: ★★★★★