Serves 4 | 5mins wo-to-go
A Classic French Summer recipe that I make time and time again because it is so easy and brimming with skin-loving anti-oxidants. We lived on an old barge in France for 18 mths with our 10 mth and 2 year old and it was here I experienced a simplicity to cooking that I fell in love with. We'd wander the local markets, buy what was in season and well ...do not much with it! We were invited into homes of people we met barging along (kids | playground - you know!) and time and time again we'd be served ripe 'ancienne' tomatoes with a vinaigrette and a single 'surprise' herb. The most memorable being tarragon. I am not a big fan of uncooked tomatoes so this is really saying something!
BEAUTY BOOST: This salad offers you 2 key wrinkle-curing nutrients to look radiant. Tomatoes contain Lycopene, a powerful anti-oxidant twice as effective at fighting wrinkles than vitamin A (beta carotene). This free radical scavenger is particularly effective in skin-tissue because it is fat-soluble - reducing skin cell damage means preventing wrinkles. Adding a healthy fat such as olive oil to your salad is a great way to increase lycopene's absorption as it is bound to the dietary fibre and is made more bio-available if cooked! Needless to say tomatoes contain Vitamin C - another fabulous antioxidant that is essential for the production of collagen - think of it as glue to keep your skin from collapsing and forming wrinkles and agh - 'sagging'. Eat tomatoes for a more youthful, radiant complexion! YOU’LL NEED…..
4 ripe tomatoes at room temperature - chopped roughly, retain juice
virgin olive oil - slurp!
white vinegar eg white balsamic - sprinkle
sugar - 1 tspn
salt flakes - good pinch or 2
pepper - good grind
fresh herb eg tarragon- finely chopped - 1 tblspn
TO MAKE…..1. Into bowl add tomatoes including juice
2. Sprinkle over sugar, salt, herbs, add olive oil and vinegar by shaking across surface with thumb covering part of the bottles hole. (make sure it has a limiter)
3. Combine well. Taste. If it is too sour, rebalance with more oil, sugar and salt. If too sweet - add more vinegar & salt.
4. Sit for min 10 minutes before serving to let the flavours mingle. Taste before service, adjust if needed.
Serve with BBQ lamb cutlets or loin chops, waxy potatoes and some summer greens with herbs chopped thru + toasted seeds sprinkled on top. Oh, nearly forgot - baguette for mopping up the juices. (sorry no gluten frees people in France LOL) + solo glass red wine.
Bon Appetit! (et merci Eliane pour inspiration x)
TIPS
- Roma's are ideal as they are sweet with less seeds. The Ox Heart or 'Ancient' varieties are fabulous too tho harder to find so if you are growing your own or are visiting a produce market - USE them!
- Use other herbs such as parsley or basil or coriander or chives or a mix of your faves.
- I have deliberately not included quantities to make the vinaigarette so you can learn to create a quick and well rounded dressing by feel & tasting as you go (without a jar or bowl to wash up!)
- if you are avoiding sugar - substitute with a few drops of Stevia.
- for more serves add a tomato per person and a bit more dressing!
KIDS
- IF they love tomatoes & don't screw their noses up at a dressing they will love this as it is a little bit sweet.
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