Panzanella

This thrifty Tuscan tomato salad will have you deliberately buying too much bread. And, waiting for it to go stale.

serves 2+

8 ripe tomatoes: any mix you like. I used Italian plum; peeled.

1/2 red onion; finely sliced

1 yellow pepper

1 red pepper

2 tbsp capers

Maldon sea salt

200g good, stale bread: sourdough is great.

4 tbsp of good quality red or white wine vinegar

handful of black olives de Aragon

a healthy bunch of basil

for the dressing

4 tbsp good olive oil

Maldon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Using a mandolin or good knife skills; finely slice the onion. Place it in a bowl with a pinch of salt and just cover with cold water. Leave for between 30 and 60 minutes.

N.B. this will reduce the bite and after-taste of the onion.

2. Place the peppers over the open flames of your hob. Turning occasionally with tongs until they are blackened all over. Remove to an adequately sized bowl and cover with film. Leave to one side for 20 minutes to steam.

3. Rinse and cut your tomatoes into gachos; lightly season and place in a colander over a bowl.

4. Break the bread in similar sized pieces... to the tomatoes!

5. In a salad bowl; add the bread pieces and sprinkle over the vinegar.

6. Drain the onions and add them to the bowl along with the capers.

7. Remove the blackened skins from the peppers: they should come off with a light rub.

8. Take the peppers and carefully open them over the tomatoes (using a sieve to catch any seeds); tip the flavoursome juice in.

9. Then, remove the stalks, seed bulbs and any remaining loose seeds. Cut the peppers into fine strips and add to the salad bowl.

10. Gently squeeze the tomatoes before adding them to the bowl.

11. Add the olives and tear in the basil leaves.

now, for the dressing...

12. In the bowl from the tomatoes you will find the lovely tomato liquid which will form the base of our dressing. Season this liquid and whisk in the olive oil. Pour it over the salad; toss and enjoy.

Full English Salad / Ensalada de Desayuno Inglés

serves 2

2 Free-range eggs

2 drops of vinegar

4 rashers of Oscar Mayer Bacon

6 slices of Morcilla de Burgos

5 cherry tomatoes

2 handfuls of mixed leaves

50ml olive oil

6 slices of bread

Freshly ground black pepper

Maldon sea salt

for the dressing

1 ripe tomato; finely grated, skins discarded

3 drops of Worcester Sauce

1 tbsp Jerez vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Maldon sea salt

1. In a large heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olive oil. Once hot, place the bread slices in: they will absorb some of the oil and crisp up. Turn the fried bread over; adding more oil if necessary. Set aside and keep warm.

2.  In the same pan, fry the bacon and morcilla until nicely browned.  Set aside and keep warm.

now the dressing...

3. Put all the ingredients into a clean jar; put the lid on a shake. Adjust seasoning to taste. Chill in the fridge.

now...

4. Arrange the leaves on the plates and add the tomato halves; season to taste... this way you will have less plating up to do when the eggs are ready.

5. Bring a medium sized saucepan of water to the boil. 

6. Take the eggs out of the fridge and break one into a cup or small jug; add a drop of vinegar.

N.B. The vinegar will help the egg white stay together in the water.

7. Using a whisk, carefully stir the water to create a vortex; then gently tip in the egg: as near the centre as possible. Leave to cook for 3 minutes. Get the second egg ready.

8. Once the 3 minutes are up, remove the egg with a slotted spoon and set aside while you poach the other egg.

9. Finish the plating up and after shaking up the dressing; drizzle around the outside of the dish.

Ensalada de Verano / Spanish Summer Salad

serves 2-4

You can find this salad in most tapas bars at this time of year. With the addition of some waxy new potatoes and cachos of red and green pepper, you can turn the Murcian Salad into the Summer Salad. This salad is even better the following day; giving the tomatoes more time to release more liquid.

7 ripe tomatoes

25 Manzanilla olives

1 red onion

2 x 80g tins of tuna

3 free-range eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

200g new potatoes

½ red pepper

½ green pepper

Maldon sea salt

1. Cut the onion into quarters and place in a bowl of salted water: this will reduce its strength. 

2. Cut the potatoes so you end up with similar sized pieces. Put them into a pan with cold water and bring to the boil. Carefully add the eggs; and boil for ten minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into uneven pieces ( see Ensalada Murciana*).

4. Add the olives.

5. Drain and add the tuna.

6. Drain the onion; and cut into uneven pieces.

7. Drain the eggs and potatoes; then, immediately cool under cold running water: this will stop the cooking process and, more importantly, stop a green film forming around the egg yolk.

8. When the eggs are completely cool; carefully shell and cut into uneven pieces. Add to the salad along with roughly the chopped peppers.

9. Season well and drizzle over the oil.

10. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

11. Serve with fresh bread to mop up the juices.

Ensalada Murciana / Murcian Salad

serves 2

7 ripe tomatoes

25 Manzanilla olives

1 red onion

2 x 80g tins of tuna

3 free-range eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

Maldon sea salt

1. Cut the onion into quarters and place in a bowl of salted water: this will reduce its strength. 

2. Put a pan of water on to boil. Carefully add the eggs; and boil for ten minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into uneven pieces ( this is the traditional way to cut vegetables*).

4. Add the olives.

5. Drain and add the tuna.

6. Drain the onion; and cut into uneven pieces.

7. Drain the eggs and immediatly cool under cold running water: this will stop the cooking process and, more importantly, stop a green film forming over the egg yolk.

8. When the eggs are completely cool; carefully shell and cut into uneven pieces.

9. Season well and drizzle over the oil.

10. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

11. Serve with fresh bread to mop up the juices.

* To cut the uneven slices (cachos): hold the item in one hand and the knife in the other as if paring, but cutting off small pieces.

Shakshouka

serves 2

1kg fresh, mixed tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

5 garlic cloves

3 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tsp Maldon sea salt

1 tsp brown sugar

2 level tsp Pimenton de la Vera-sweet

2 organic free-range eggs

a handful of coriander leaves

1. Roughly chop the tomatoes: finely chop or crush the garlic.

2. Heat the oil in a thick-bottomed pan and simmer all the ingredients (except the eggs and coriander) for 15 minutes.

3. Break the eggs into the mixture and cover and continue to simmer until the eggs are just set.

4. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over the coriander.

5. Serve with crisp, fresh bread (e.g. fougasse).

Summer Salad with Tomato consommé and Tapenade

seves 5 (side dish)

for the consommé

5 large ripe tomatoes

a few drops of Worcester Sauce

a sprig of Basil

for the tapanade

150g black olives, de-stoned

3 tbsp capers

1 small garlic clove

olive oil

for the salad

450g mixed tomatoes

½ small fennel bulb

3 radishes

Maldon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

a handful of small basil leaves

for the consommé

N.B. You need to start this the day before you want to serve this dish.

1. Place the tomatoes in a food processor or blender. 

2. Blend well and transfer the liquid to a muslin cloth-lined colander.

3. Bring the edges of the cloth together and tie with a length of string.

4. Suspend the cloth bag over a bowl in your fridge and leave for 6-10 hours.

5. Finely chop the basil and leave to infuse for about 15 minutes.

6. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve ( to remove the chopped basil), season with the Worcester Sauce and reserve.

for the tapanade

7. Put the olives, capers and garlic clove in a food processor; blend whilst drizzling in the olive oil until you have a paste.

to plate up

8. Cut the tomatoes depending on size; halve or quarter. Finely slice the fennel and radish: Season well.

9. Centre the tomatoes, fennel and radish in a serving bowl. Pour over the consommé

10. Finish with a quenelle of tapanade and sprinkle over some baby basil leaves.

11. Serve chilled in small glass bowls.

Salmorejo Cordobés

serves 2

5 ripe plum tomatoes

~75ml good olive oil

1/2 clove of garlic

1 egg

5 thin slices of jamón serrano

Malden sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Blanche the tomatoes and refresh in iced water. This will make the skin removal easier.

2. De-seed the tomatoes and roughly chop the remaining flesh.

3. In a small bowl, Blend the tomatoes; then add the garlic, season and continue to blend.

4. Drizzle in the oil and blend as if you where making mayonaise.

5. Once you have created your emulsion, place the bowl in fridge to chill for a couple of hours.

6. Boil the egg for 7 minutes and refresh in cold water.

7. Transfer the emulsion to a serving bowl and decorate with the sliced egg and jamón; drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil.