Tomato Salad with Tarragon Pesto & Pumpernickel Croutons

With this easy tomato salad, more is more—so if you want, go wild with an outrageous selection of tomatoes. Look for big gnarly tomatoes, plum-shaped varieties, smooth or peach-fuzzed skins, zebra stripes, not to mention the miniatures at the summer farmers’ market. All the visual variation means you’ll get a range of flavors as well.”

Ingredients

2 pounds Indigo and/or other heirloom tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¾ teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
4 cups cubed pumpernickel bread ( ½-inch)
1½ cups packed fresh tarragon
½ cup packed fresh basil
⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons toasted blanched hazelnuts
1 small clove garlic
6 cups watercress

Directions

1Preheat oven to 425°F.
2Toss tomatoes, 2 tablespoons oil, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Let stand for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3Meanwhile, toss bread with 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until browned on the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
4Combine tarragon, basil, Parmesan, hazelnuts, garlic and the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the remaining 5 tablespoons oil and pulse until just combined, with a rough texture.
5Gently stir the pesto and croutons into the tomatoes. Serve the tomato salad with watercress.