Our friends from Little Bird recently visited Rangihoua Villa and cooked up some delicious recipes to share between friends, this is the last recipe they created using our Allpress Waiheke Blend EVOO.
This simple salad is a beautiful celebration of late summer flavours, with the quality of the tomatoes and EVOO being key to its success.
We used a selection of heirloom tomatoes in a range of colours and shapes and chopped them in a variety of ways. For ones with thicker skins, we have removed the skin which also helps it absorb more of the EVOO.
We topped the salad with some quick pickled balsamic onions and fresh cultured cashew cheese (you can use soft goats cheese if you prefer).
Aside from being a beautiful salad to add to a table it can also be plated on its own as a starter served with a few crackers or sourdough.
Ingredients
½ red onion
1/5 cup balsamic vinegar
4-5 ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom or vine-ripened), sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
100g of your favourite goats style cheese (we used local herbed cashew cheese from Higher Cultures)
2 tbsp Allpress Waiheke Blend EVOO
Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Optional Flowers to garnish
Directions
Firstly, make the balsamic red onions by finely slicing them into half-moons (either by hand or on a mandolin) then place in a small bowl with balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Leave to marinate while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Wash the tomatoes and pat them dry. Slice the tomatoes into rounds or wedges, depending on your preference. Arrange the tomato slices on a serving platter or individual plates.
Pick the basil leaves and place throughout the tomatoes, if the leaves are large you may want to tear them a little. Scatter the balsamic onions on top of the tomatoes, we like to put them in little clusters across the dish.
Distribute slices of your cheese of choice evenly across the dish and finish with a drizzle of EVOO and edible flowers if you are using them. Finish with salt and pepper to taste.
