This winter in Sydney has been unseasonably warm, and so I’ve found myself making far more salads at this time of year than usual. Not that sweltering temperatures are a requirement for scrumptious salads, but the tastebuds tend to lean towards those comforting “stick to your ribs” style of dishes that manage to fill you up and ward off the chills. I’ve combined the best of both edible worlds in my family meals, by serving up favourite soups, such as roasted pumpkin and rosemary, broccoli and basil, classic chicken vegetable, or bold flavoured pasta ragu, hearty goulash, coconut curries or home made pizzas and of course…a big beautiful salad like this tangy tomato version. 

Inspired by a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, the thinly sliced rounds of Roma tomatoes are drizzled with a zesty lemon and ginger dressing and scattered with aromatic mint and spring onions. A fabulous punchy mouthful of flavour with each forkful. How can something so simple taste so superb? It all comes down to great quality Australian produce and the magic of mixing together the right ingredients. Bliss from the first bite. 


Tangy Tomato Salad 

To serve 4 adults as a side dish, or 2 people as a light meal with warm bread like my home made wholemeal loaves (http://www.cabinetofcookery.com.au/2014/07/home-baked-golden-wholemeal-bread.html) or silky Nigellan flat bread rolls (http://www.cabinetofcookery.com.au/2013/10/sensational-sunday-sandwiches-fluffy.html) to mop up those salad juices. 

600 grams ripe Roma tomatoes (about 4 – 5 tomatoes)
1 tablespoon olive oil – I prefer the Mudgee based Lomondo brand for its fresh, herby taste
juice of half a lemon
2 x long green spring onions (white and green sections of the spring onions)
handful of fresh mint leaves
1 heaped teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
good grind of sea salt to taste

You will need to use a round platter about 28cm in diameter. 

Using a super sharp knife, thinly slice the tomatoes into rounds, discarding the pieces at either end. 

Arrange the slices in your platter in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Drizzle with half the olive oil, and lemon and sprinkle over half the ginger (this is the dressing). 

Add the second layer of tomatoes and dress again. 

Finely slice the spring onions into tiny rounds. Scatter with the whole mint leaves across the top of the dressed tomatoes. Grind over sea salt to taste. 

Leave at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving to allow for the flavours to infuse.