You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to: Tomato & mozzarella salad

 

But let's not call the whole thing off.

 

I said this week was going to be dedicated to simple summer essentials, and was keen from the outset to include my favourite summer salad: tomato and mozzarella.

 

But first, some background (or waffle - you decide and feel free to skip this paragraph). Growing up, salad for us, like many working class families, included the ubiquitous iceberg lettuce, watery tomatoes (although cherry were always my favourite) and cucumber. A summer staple, served with leftover roast meat or ham for packed lunches. The amazing thing about being a market shopper is the fact that you had to buy seasonal produce. Now it seems odd that those of us on lower incomes were embracing through necessity something which is now seen as a desirable indicator of one's ethical status and an appropriate choice to make. But enough preaching, you get the picture; salad = boring. And I have to admit it took me a long time to move away from the familiarity of that prescriptive recipe as it were. I remember a flatmate at uni adding dressing and mango to a chicken salad and thinking it wonderfully decadent. Adding croutons and thousand island dressing (yes, I know, kill me now) was my next step, and then - once again spurred on by Mr Oliver - I started to experiment. Watery tomatoes were replaced with home grown (actually that is a lie I distinctly remember my grandma growing tomatoes in her greenhouse and indulgently letting us eat them straight from the plants). Peppers were added and dressings experimented with. Over time I discovered first rocket, and then watercress preferring to grow my own in window boxes and plant pots than use the bagged, extortionate supermarket versions.

Today salad is once again a summer staple, it's largely diet friendly and means I get an extra serving of my five a day.

The produce Asda sent me was calling out to be made into a salad and my tummy was calling out for that to be my favourite. I'm including two ways of making this, not because I'm showing off, but because if you're left with some overripe tomatoes then slow roasting them first works best.

Now just before I get any further I want to address (possibly reiterate) the mozzarella equation:

• If you're eating mozzarella raw, such as in this salad - buy the best you can afford. The taste does make a difference. Please don't remortgage your house though, stay within reason.
• If you're cooking with mozzarella buy economy/ basics branded. In blind taste tests when the cheese has been cooked people categorically can't tell the difference.

 

Mozzarella and tomato salad (fresh tomatoes)
 

 

If you store your tomatoes in the fridge, get them out at least an hour before making this as it means you can taste the flavour of the fruit as opposed to just the cold.

 

Around 1 large or 2 medium (really, use your judgement) tomatoes per person

 

Mozzarella - usually balls are around 250g and I allow half a ball per person
Fresh basil or if you've had a glut of herbs you needed to preserve, a drizzle of basil oil. See tomorrow's post for details.

 

Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes about the thickness of a £1 coin
(I can't believe I just typed that, slice them how you want!) if you've not got a super sharp knife use a serrated one as it makes slicing tomatoes easier.

 

Scatter over fresh basil leaves, salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Or just salt, pepper and your herb oil

 If I'm being fancy I arrange them on a plate, alternating the tomato and cheese. If, on the other hand I'm making lunch for me I whack it all in a bowl and scoff greedily sat in as much sunshine as either the office, training room, front step or balcony can muster!

 Mozarella and tomato salad - take two: using overripe tomatoes

 

 

Halve all your ripe tomatoes and place them on a baking tray cut side up. Sprinkle with salt & pepper (and if you've got some fresh thyme lying around add that)
Drizzle over olive oil
Cook in a preheated oven - 200 degrees C ish for about 45 minutes, until the skins are just starting to blacken and the tops are wrinkly

Serve with your mozzarella, save the olive oil-y juices though and use that as a dressing with some basil

 

 

The roasted tomatoes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Bring up to room temperature before using them though

So there you have it, my salad history and mozzarella and tomato salad two ways. What more could you want?

Baked tomato pasta

I've talked before about how tomato pasta was my first bought recipe that I tried out. Good Housekeeping gave me my point in that direction. This version is a grown up version of that same recipe. 


Much like where you started using a handbag at 16, it's just a rucksack really but it's your handbag - housing (in my case) a Body Shop cherry lipbalm, emergency bar of chocolate, purse and front door keys, and a copy of the Musicals magazine that had the tape of that month's musical on the front. I was a classy teen. Please note the absence of a mobile phone. Yes, I'm that old. These days, in amongst the detritus of scrumpled receipts, business cards and the odd Guide badge are still keys and a purse, a tube of Lanolips 101 balm, my iPhone, Kindle, packet of tissues, lipstick, rescue remedy, migraine stick, hand cream and medications. The musicals are now uploaded to the iPhone. Some things never change. 


Much the same as the contents of my handbag have grown up with me, so have some of my recipes. This is one such example.


Baked Tomato Pasta 


Olive Oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, whole, unpeeled
2 tins of tomatoes (a good Italian brand)
500ml good red wine - something you would enjoy drinking. You're going to intensify the flavour so it needs to start off well
Oregano - fresh if it's the summer, dried in the winter
Mozzarella - this can be basics range as you're going to bake it


Pasta - I bake this normally with penne, but used conchigle this week as that's what I had


You'll also need a casserole dish with a lid


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
Start by putting your casserole dish on the hob on a medium heat 
Pour a good few tablespoons of Olive oil into your casserole and add your garlic
Open the tins of tomatoes and using a sieve drain the water from them as much as possible
Add the tomatoes to the casserole, and then add in the wine
If you're using dried oregano add it now
Put the lid on the casserole as the ingredients just start to bubble and put it in the oven. Leave it for an hour


After an hour, take the casserole out, and fish out each clove of garlic. Squish out the now soft garlic which will have cooked to an amazingly sweet sludge(I cant think of another word) and stir those into the sauce
Put the lid back on and put the casserole back in for about half an hour
Chop the mozzarella roughly into a large dice
Cook your pasta for about half the stated time, then drain it and take your sauce out, add the pasta, stirring the sauce in so it's well coated. Add the mozarella, keeping about half to one side. If you're using fresh oregano add it now.
Don't put the lid back on, but put the casserole back in the oven for another half an hour
Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and serve, if you're feeling it, garlic bread is in equal measures trashy and fabulous here. 
You should probably serve this with the rest of the wine. I'm not a big red wine drinker so I don't, I freeze the leftover red wine to add to my next casserole. Just call me Miss thrifty.


This is an amazing, beautifully slow cooked dish. Perfect for a chilly Sunday in February, warming and hearty. Yet for some reason with the fragrant fresh oregano, and the mozzarella all stirred in at the last minute, served in the garden on a summer's evening with a crisp glass of white wine it doesn't feel at all unseasonal. Perhaps this is a trans-seasonal recipe? Is there such a thing?