OPINION | FRONT BURNER: Caprese salad gets flavor from basil vinaigrette

The sweet basil, lemon thyme, Cherokee purple tomatoes, cilantro/coriander, oregano, rosemary and cucumber plants flourishing in my tiny backyard garden are keeping me busy and well fed this summer.

(I can't say the same for the crookneck yellow squash plants. They fell prey to squash vine borers and are barely hanging on.)

But that basil plant! Flush with flavorful leaves it just keeps growing. Homemade pesto is one of my favorite go-to ways of using/preserving fresh basil. Another is basil vinaigrette.

A touch of Dijon mustard gives this verdant vinaigrette a punch of tangy without adding much mustard flavor. I added a few sprigs of lemon thyme to give it a citrusy note, but you could skip it entirely or replace some of the vinegar with lemon juice for the same effect.