A recipe taken from a beautiful new cook book Nostrana. Nostrana meaning homegrown, ours; growing food with the intent of sharing it.
We love the height of summer, when heirloom tomatoes are rich and sweet, ripened on the vine, and the subtleties of flavour in the varieties are pronounced. This tomato medley salad plays on those flavours with a contrasting whipped feta and a sweet honey-chilli drizzle. Make extra of the whipped feta and the honey-chilli drizzle to reconstruct this later as a dip with other garden goodies. Though, honestly, it is best with fresh tomatoes – an addictive combination.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp chilli seeds
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp capers
- 500g mixed heirloom tomatoes, sliced (little ones can be left whole)
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- Small handful of Italian parsley,
- roughly chopped
Whipped Feta
- 80g feta
- 40g sour cream (or yoghurt)
- 1/2 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Lemon zest
- Cracked pepper
Method
- To make the whipped feta, blend the feta and sour cream in a food processor until smooth, then stir in the remaining ingredients by hand. Chill until required.
- In a small pot, heat honey until runny (no need to simmer or boil) then add chilli seeds and stir thoroughly.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan and fry capers until crispy. Leave to cool
- Layer whipped feta on the base of the plate, followed by tomatoes, capers, red onion and parsley.
- Drizzle with the honey chilli just before serving, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
