Keeping the sunshine on the table

As we are now in May, can Summer be so far away?


For those of us who like to have a little Summer sunshine on the table all year round, we sometimes substitute flavour for looks.  At least at this time of year when salad ingredients are starting to grow naturally, rather than forced, we can have a little of both.

Tomatoes will have the first flush of the Summer from this week onwards so start keeping a look out, in the Northern Hemisphere, for these.  If you are like me living in northern Europe, our season is starting now and although we've had our share of early fruits (from Spain, Portugal and Morocco mainly) we are now seeing some slightly more local produce.

This fresh tomato salad is certainly mouth watering and is so easy to add to in a hurry if you have unexpected guests.  The basic recipe is below.

• four large ripe tomatoes, cut into eight to ten wedges (if you've bought these from the supermarket, leave them on the side to bring to room temperature - this will maximise their flavour) and remove the core
• 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 cling film and leave on the side for an hour or more to let the flavours really permeate.

The above quantities are excellent for two people for a light lunch when served with some chunky cut bread and butter, however the above is a great base recipe to add chopped black olives and crumbled feta or goats cheese and, if the above mentioned guests do arrive, making bruschetta-like toasts and adding these to a sharing platter with additional olives and dips on the side will have everyone talking.

Another variation is to use different types and colours of tomato, but this is more likely to be later in the season.  To give the salad a more Moroccan vibe, try substituting parsley with mint and using whole caper berries and some chopped dried fruit, such as dates or apricots.  If you do try this, make sure you add just a little of brine from the capers and leave the salad to steep in its bowl for slightly longer.  If you want to turn up the heat, try adding Sumac, this sour north African spice is perfect and with the addition of some finely chopped red chilli, will certainly give a little "Wow".

This salad is also great as a side for all manner of grilled dishes, so why not try it out?