MIXED TOMATO SALAD

Living in Nigeria, you’ll find that tomatoes almost always end up in stew of some sort or jollof rice. Almost always. A few may end up in a salad every once in awhile, but a peppery tomato stew or a spicy pot of jollof rice is where they are most likely found. However, there are so many more things that we can do with tomatoes and that’s what hopefully we can begin to explore here. Let’s start with something that although simple, is light, bright and full of flavour. A tomato salad accompanied by a quick almond ricotta and a pesto sauce/salsa verde to garnish. If you are able to get your hands on a variety of tomatoes, then that will make this dish even more exciting.

Now we often overlook tomatoes because, well, they are commonly found in most places. However, they are a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamin C and lycopene. These particular nutrients have been found to reduce the risk of some cancers, lower cholesterol, boost immunity and protect the eyes and skin.

Now back to the salad. You can find my recipe below, but there are other examples of tomato salads here on the Food Network and also another example here by Rachel Roy.

INGREDIENTS

TOMATO SALAD

Mix of 12 tomatoes (mix shapes, sizes and colour)

½ Red onion finely sliced

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Almond ricotta cheese (recipe included)

Salsa verde (for plating, included)

Olive oil (extra for plating if needed)

ALMOND RICOTTA

1 cups Almonds, soaked

1 ½  tbs Lemon juice

½  tbs Lemon zest

4 tbs Nutritional yeast

1 tsp Salt

1 Spring onion

1 tbs parsley, minced

2 tbs water

SALSA VERDE

1 cup Basil

1 Clove of garlic

2 tsp Dijon mustard

120ml Olive oil

1 tbs Lemon juice

½ tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

SALAD PREP

• Finely slice the onion and place in a bowl with apple cider vinegar and set aside
• Slice the tomatoes in various shapes and sizes. Leave some cherry tomatoes whole (if using them)
• Plat tomatoes along with ricotta and drizzle the salsa verde

ALMOND RICOTTA PREP

• Soak the almonds in water for 8 hours and then peel off the skins
• Place almonds in a small food processor along with the lemon juice, zest, nutritional yeast, and salt. Blend until smooth
• Mince the spring onion
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in minced onions and parsley
• Adjust seasoning as needed
• Place in a sealable container and store in the refrigerator until ready

Salsa Verde Prep

• Place all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in small food processor and blend
• Slowly stream in the olive olive
• Pour in a bowl and set aside for plating