Summer is here! Stinking hot days, muggy evenings followed by cooling thunderstorms and all in one day! One thing about living in Dubai that you could be fairly sure about was what the weather was showing for the morning would pretty much remain for the day (I miss that). Sure there was the odd sandstorm and rain (yes), but you generally always knew it was going to be perfect (winter months, like now), hot, very hot, and unimaginably hot. It was reliable, which is anything but what Sydney weather has shown us since our return. I’m adjusting.
We went for our first Aussie beach swim last weekend and it was fresh. As in freezing, but restorative. And we are so excited to enjoy a full summer of long beach days, BBQs, backyard cricket and all things associated with an Australian summer.
There are tray of scented mangoes, boxes of plump cherries and generally the food is so delicious, little needs to be done to enjoy them. We have been establishing our own little vege garden, mostly made up of different varieties of tomatoes. Each day now the kids have been collecting a handful of red and yellow varieties. My 2 older kids love tomatoes, and could happily sit and devour punnets of cherry tomatoes.
When they are so perfect and tasty, there is not much point messing with them in a recipe. And because summer is so focused on spending as much time outdoors as possible, I also don’t want to spend too much time preparing these summer dishes.
I have shown a couple of photos of different tomato salads, one needs no recipe. It is simply tomatoes, a torn up burrata (my absolute favourite, available from good delis and fruit shops) scattered with torn basil and drizzled with your best olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I use the sticky reduced balsamic).
The other dish is a variation on an Ottolenghi dish which uses a number of spices and other ingredients, which to be honest I didn’t have at home and I also thought I would try a simplified version which made for a speedy salad for dinner. I served this salad with some thyme roasted carrots and lamb backstraps (lamb loin) that had been seasoned with salt, pepper and sumac.
Now we are entering the festive season, the colours of these dishes will liven any buffet table or could make a lovely fresh starter.
If the summer weather can be as reliable as the amazing produce we are so spoilt to enjoy here, then I’ll be a happy camper!
- 500g tomatoes, find the best ones you are happy to buy. I used yellow and red.
- 1 pomegranate, or a pun net of pomegranate seeds
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped. I used oregano and parsley from the garden
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- pepper and sea salt to taste
- Finely dice tomatoes
- If you have a whole pomegranate, slice in half and remove seeds. I prefer to do this by breaking the half up and pulling the seeds free. There are many methods, but I find this keeps the juice in the seeds better.
- To make the dressing, whisk the oil, molasses and vinegar together, season to taste.
- Arrange the tomatoes and pomegranate seeds in a dish, scatter over the herbs and dressing.
