This summer I've been playing about with tomatoes like never before. First off, I am completely smitten bythe sheer range of colours, sizes and shapes that are available in our markets and supermarkets these days. So much so that I just can't resist choosing one of this (dark and moody, green Isle of Wight variety), one of that (deep red, small and suggestively pointy Italian datterini) and one of the other (sunny yellow and beefy bull's heart), then throwing them alltogether, just for their sheer splendour, with some red onion, olive oil, white-wine vinegar and hand-broken bits of parmesan. Withits vast array ofshades – from almost ivory pale, through stripy scarlets, to near black – such a salad is so simple andso beautiful that Ireally can't think of any dish in my arsenal that's capable of seriously challenging it.
More important, though – and a bit less superficially, perhaps – Ihave to concede that our tomatoes (yes, even those stocked in supermarkets) taste so much better than they did, say, five years ago. It seems that finally, after decades of serving up tomatoes of increasing blandness and wateriness, somebody out there yielded to pressure and started actually tasting the tomatoes they were selecting for sale in our supermarkets. It's not all perfect yet,of course – there's still a fair way to go – but it seems that we've definitely taken a few steps in the right direction. Who knows, one day the taste of our tomatoes may even match up to their fabulous colours.
Tomato and almond tart (V)
A savoury take on the classic French fruit and frangipane tart. Just as in the sweet version, the almond paste soaks up the juice of the fruit (tomato is a fruit, after all), and in so doing creates the most luscious layer of rich, nutty sweetness. Serves eight.
140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs (each 60g net weight),beaten
65g fresh breadcrumbs
80g ground almonds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
15g picked thyme leaves
100g ricotta
20g parmesan, finely grated (or vegetarian alternative)
Maldon sea salt and black pepper
320g puff pastry (homemade or shop-bought)
Sunflower oil, for greasing
1kg medium tomatoes, cut into 1cm-thick slices (about 10 tomatoes)
12 anchovies in oil, roughly torn (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. With an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and aerated. With the machine running on medium speed, slowly incorporate the eggs. If the mix splits, add some breadcrumbs to bring it back together, then carry on adding the remaining eggs. Stop the machine, and work in the breadcrumbs, almonds and garlic just until everything is combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using your hands, gently fold inhalf the thyme, the ricotta, parmesan and half a teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside.
Roll the pastry into two 20cm x 30cm rectangular sheets about 2mm thick. Grease two baking trays with alittle sunflower oil and lay the pastry rectangles on top. Spread the almond mixture evenly over the pastries with a palette knife, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Lay the tomato slices on top of each sheet in three long rows, with a fair amount of overlap between the rows (tomatoes shrink a fair bit when exposed to heat). Sprinkle over the anchovies, if using, and remaining thyme. Drizzle the tomatoes with half the olive oil and season with some sea salt and a generous grind of black pepper.
Bake the tarts for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and carry on cooking for another 10 minutes, until the base is nice and brown. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly, then dribble over the remaining olive oil and serve.
Tomato salad with wasabi cream (V)
This dish can be a showcase for all those beautiful heritage tomatoes that are around at the moment, as well as for your presentation talents. The opportunity to arrange all those colours and shapes on a single plate really gets the creative juices flowing. If you don't have access to such arange of tomatoes, just use whatever good-flavoured ones you can. They'll still do the job. I'd like to thank Ramael Scully, Nopi's executive head chef, for this recipe. Serves four.
100ml white-wine vinegar
¾ tbsp caster sugar
½ tbsp pink peppercorns
4 large sprigs fresh thyme
2 medium banana shallots, peeled and cut widthways into 2mm rounds
1 tsp wasabi paste
50g mascarpone
500g mixed ripe tomatoes, cut into slices, halves or wedges, depending on size and shape
1½ tbsp olive oil
Maldon sea salt and black pepper
2 tsp tarragon leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp dill, finely chopped
In a small saucepan, mix together the vinegar, sugar, pink peppercorns and thyme. Bring to a boil, add the shallots and simmer gently for five minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the shallots to cool in the juices.
Put the wasabi and mascarpone ina small bowl with a pinch of salt, and use the back of a spoon to mix together until smooth. Spread a thin layer of the cream over the surface of a large platter.
Mix the chopped tomatoes with the olive oil and scatter on top of the cream. Using a slotted spoon, lift the shallots from their cooking liquor, discard the thyme, and arrange over the tomatoes. Sprinkle over about half a teaspoon of salt, a quarter-teaspoon of black pepper and the herbs, and serve immediately.
Spicy scrambled eggs (V)
The perfect remedy when you're feeling a bit rough on a late Sunday morning. Serve on toast, and with abloody mary, and itwill definitely be a lovely day. Serves four.
2 tbsp sunflower oil
¾ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp caraway seeds
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
10g piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium red chilli, finely chopped
¼ tsp each ground turmeric and cardamom
½ tsp tomato paste
Salt
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm dice (300g net weight)
8 medium eggs, beaten
3 spring onions, finely sliced
10g coriander, chopped
½ tsp urfa chilli flakes (or ¼ tsp regular chilli flakes)
Put a large, preferably nonstick, frying pan on medium heat and add the oil, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, onion, ginger and chilli. Cook, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, until the onion is soft but not coloured.
Add the ground spices, tomato paste and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for eight to 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Now tip in the beaten eggs and immediately reducethe heat to medium-low. Very gently, but continuously, scrape the base of thepan with a wooden spatula – what you're after here are large, curd-like folds of soft and verymoistegg. Cook for around three minutes in total.
Serve the eggs piping hot, and sprinkled with the chopped spring onion, coriander and a scattering of chilli flakes
