March: heirloom tomato salad with baked ricotta and olives
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for heirloom tomato salad with baked ricotta and olives.
- 10 mins preparation
- 20 mins cooking plus cooling
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 400 gm piece ricotta, cut into 5cm-thick wedges
- 160 gm (1 cup) Kalamata olives
- 1 tsp dried Greek oregano (see note)
- To taste: extra-virgin olive oil
- 6-8 assorted ripe heirloom tomatoes
- To taste: red wine vinegar
- To serve: basil and crusty bread
Method
- 1Preheat oven to 190C. Place ricotta wedges on a baking tray lined with baking paper, scatter over olives and oregano, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. Bake until ricotta is golden (10-15 minutes) and cool to room temperature.
- 2Thickly slice tomatoes, arrange on a serving platter, drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and season to taste. Crumble over baked ricotta, scatter with olives and basil and serve with crusty bread.
Notes
ALSO IN SEASON
FRUIT
Almonds, chestnuts, figs, gala apples, hazelnuts, honeydew melons, Jonathan apples, pears, pistachios, raspberries, rhubarb, rockmelons, walnuts
VEGETABLES
Avocadoes, borlotti beans, capsicum, celery, chillies, fennel, leeks, olives, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, zucchini
SEAFOOD
King George whiting, ocean jacket, sea mullet, southern garfish, southern rock lobster, tiger flathead, western rock lobster, yellowfin bream I like to use a variety of heirloom tomatoes, such as black Russian, tigerella, and yellow pear, so there’s an interesting contrast of colours and flavours. Greek oregano, also known as rigani, is more aromatic than the dried oregano sold in supermarkets. It’s available in dried bunches from Greek delicatessens. If unavailable, substitute dried oregano.
This recipe is from the March 2010 issue of
.