Summer Tomatoes

Summer Tomatoes

With seasonal tomatoes arriving in all their varieties now, its the time to celebrate their flavour with herbs that enhance them.

This simple, yet strong flavoured dressing is perfect for the larger varieties, remembering always to store your fruits at room temperature to maximise their smell and taste. 

For a generous serving for two people or as a simple starter for four:

Take one kilo of ripe tomatoes, the beefier the better.  Cut them in in half and take out their cores, then slice into wedges and place in a large bowl.

Take two large red peppers, core them and then cut them in into strips and also add these to the bowl.

The dressing is a simple affair, with two large cloves of garlic, three dessert spoons of capers and a handful of black pitted olives, all chopped roughly and put into a screw top jar.  Add some of the preserving vinegar from your jar of capers and add a similar amount of balsamic.  Then add two to three times this volume of good extra virgin olive oil. 

Add the cap to the jar, shake virgorously and pour over your summer fruit.  Toss and serve with toasted bread or some crumbled feta.

Tomatoes - keeping it simple

As the first flush of ripe tomatoes come through what could be better than a fresh tomato salad, served at room temperature and with all the flavour of Summer?

When tomatoes are in season, you simply want to celebrate their taste.  So any accompaniment should be a partnership to the tomato's natural flavour.

• four large ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (if you've bought these from the supermarket, leave them on the side to bring to room temperature - this will maximise their flavour)
• one small red onion, halved and sliced thinly
• a handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped roughly
• two dessert spoons of salted capers, chopped roughly
• 2 good glugs of extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, add all the above and using your hands, make sure that everything has a coating of oil.  Cover with clingfilm and leave on the side for an hour or more.

Use as salad on its own, as a filling in crusty bread or, add olives and feta and gorge yourself whilst sitting in the sun...