BLT SALAD & AVOCADO DRESSING

(With apologies to Martha Stewart, from whom the recipe originally came—but I tweaked it a bit!)

Salad:

24 strips ¼-inch-thick-cut bacon (1 pound)
2½ bunches lettuce
1 c avocado dressing
2 pounds tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 425°. Arrange bacon strips on a wire rack set or on parchment paper on a baking pan. Place pan in oven until bacon is golden brown and crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, being careful of the bacon fat that has collected under the rack, and set aside.

2. Arrange lettuce in the bottom of a salad bowl; drizzle with half the avocado dressing. Cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices; cut cherry tomatoes, depending on size, in half. Arrange tomato slices over lettuce; scatter cherry tomatoes over tomato slices.

3. Set aside two strips of bacon for the dressing. Crumble the remaining bacon strips over tomatoes. Drizzle with remaining avocado dressing, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately. Serves 12.


Dressing:

1 ripe avocado
¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 small clove garlic, peeled (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons red-wine (I use balsamic) vinegar
½ cup olive oil
½ cup water (the original recipe doesn't call for this, but I use it to thin out the dressing for drizzling)
2 strips bacon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Note: Because of the bacon and balsamic vinegar, this dressing will have a rather unappetizing brownish green appearance. Once you get past the way it looks, it's actually one of the most delicious dressings ever—but if the look bothers you, just omit the bacon and substitute a paler vinegar such as cider vinegar.

Slice avocado lengthwise. Remove and discard the pit and peel, and place flesh in the bowl of a food processor. Add basil, garlic, lime juice, and vinegar; process until combined. Slowly add olive oil through the machine’s feed tube, and process until the dressing is smooth. It should have a thick but pourable consistency; give an extra squeeze or two on the limes to adjust consistency. Season with salt and pepper, and use immediately. Makes 1 cup.