Heirloom tomato, tahini, baba ghanouj, mint, and grilled focaccia
Ingredients:
2 large, ripe heirloom tomatoes
30 heirloom cherry tomatoes (Sungold varietal preferred)
100g tahini & cilantro dressing (recipe below)
140g baba ghanouj (recipe below)
15 mint leaves
15 basil leaves
3 slices of grilled bread (focaccia preferred)
Olive oil (to taste)
Maldon salt (to taste)
Method:
- In a medium-sized pot, bring salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath and place on the counter next to your stovetop.
- Cut a very shallow “X” pattern on the bottom of our heirloom tomatoes and place gently into the boiling water and leave for 30 seconds.
- Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to your ice bath and leave for 2 minutes to stop cooking process.
- Remove tomatoes from the ice bath and peel the skin.
- Cut the tomato in half and remove the core by cutting a V shape around the core (note: the core will extend deep into the tomato, so any visibly tough and pale parts of the stem should be removed).
- Cut tomatoes into 2.5cm wedges and reserve.
- Halve all cherry tomatoes and reserve.
- On a large platter, smear the tahini and cilantro dressing in a large shallow circle, leaving about an inch of clearance around the perimeter of the platter.
- Scatter both the tomato wedges and cherry tomatoes on top of the dressing and season with olive oil and a generous amount of Maldon salt.
- Tear basil and mint leaves into bite sizes and sprinkles around.
- Serve with grilled bread on the side, or cut the bread after it is grilled into crouton sized pieces.
Tahini & Cilantro Dressing
Ingredients:
100g tahini
65g white wine vinegar
60g water
10g sesame oil
55g canola oil
10g kosher salt
1 cilantro bunch
1g cayenne pepper
Method:
- In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients.
- Puree slowly at first, and then increase speed as ingredients start spinning.
- Turn up to medium-high speed and blend until mixture is emulsified, but do not blend too long as the heat from the friction can brown the dressing.
- Transfer mixture to an airtight container – this will last approx. 5 days in the fridge.
Baba Ghanouj
Ingredients:
250g charred eggplant (Italian purple preferred)
20g roasted garlic
3g cumin, toasted and ground
10g rice vinegar
4g kosher salt
20g tahini
15g lemon juice
Method:
- Char eggplants whole on a grill until burnt on the outside and soft on the inside. Reserve in a colander in the sink for 30 minutes to allow excess liquid to drain.
- Remove the stem off the eggplants and discard.
- Combine eggplants (skin and all) with all other ingredients in a food processor.
- Blend until mixture is smooth (approximately 2 minutes).
