TOMATO SALAD
- 6 large Vine Tomatoes
- 2 Avocados
- Micro Salad Leaves
- Nasturtium Leaves, to garnish
- Edible Flowers, to garnish
- Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
MARINATED CHERRY TOMATOES
- 200g of Cherry Tomatoes, or Cocktail Tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1 dash of Olive Oil
LOVAGE PESTO
- 1 bunch of Fresh Lovage
- 1 bunch of Parsley
- 2 tbsp of Pistachios, shelled
- 1 Garlic clove, chopped
- 1 pinch of Salt
- Olive Oil
SPICY GAZPACHO
- 2 Red Peppers
- 4 Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 stick of Celery, strings removed and chopped
- 1/2 Cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped
- 1 Shallot, finely chopped
- 1 Red Chili, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 Garlic clove, chopped
- 200ml of Tomato Juice
- 50ml of Olive Oil
- 50ml of White Wine Vinegar
- 1 dash of Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 dash of Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp of Caster Sugar
- Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Preheat the oven to 220°C
- Place the cherry tomatoes in a bowl with the sugar, salt, vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix together and leave at room temperature to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the spicy gazpacho. Roast the peppers in the hot oven for 15 minutes, turning occasionally until the skins are blistered. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a bowl, covering with cling film to allow them to steam. Leave for 10 minutes until cool enough to handle and peel off the blackened skins. Remove the seeds and roughly chop the flesh.
- Transfer the roasted peppers to a blender along with the remaining gazpacho ingredients and blitz to a smooth consistency. Adjust the seasoning to taste and pass through a fine sieve into a jug. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
- To make the pesto, tear a handful of the lovage and parsley leaves into smaller pieces and place into blender. Add the pistachio nuts, garlic and a pinch of salt and start blending.
- With the machine running, gradually pour in the olive oil in a steady stream until the pesto resembles a thick paste.
- Prepare the salad ingredients just before serving. Slice the large vine tomatoes, season the slices and lay on serving plates. Halve, peel and destone the avocados, then slice into even pieces and layer with the tomato slices.
- Add a few of the marinated cherry tomato halves to the plate. Garnish with micro salad, nasturtium leaves and edible flowers and a drizzle of pesto. Serve with a shot of chilled gazpacho on the side.
