Aeolian-style Summer Salad / Insalata estiva in stile eoliano
“This dish is all about the tomatoes. It's hard to perfectly replicate a delicious, fresh salad from Sicily's Aeolian islands when in the UK, yet we produce many delicious varieties of tomatoes that will stand up well in comparison. I'd use a plum vine or a Bull's Heart tomato - ensure they are ripe, but not over ripe.” Ben Tish
Credit: Adapted from a recipe in the book “Sicilia – a love letter to the food of Sicily” by Ben Tish.
Ingredients
- Ingredients: Serves 4
- 300g medium-sized, sweet red cherry tomatoes (vine-ripened are best), sliced into rounds
- 2 handfuls (about 60g) of pitted green olives
- 2 small red onions, thinly sliced
- 50g sultanas
- Handful of lightly crushed walnuts –1 tablespoon dried crushed oregano
- 10 stalks of flat leaf parsley, chopped
- Finely chopped mint leaves
- For the dressing:
- 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Zest and juice of one large Sicilian unwaxed lemon
- A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Method:
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Place the sultanas into a small bowl. Pour enough hot water over the sultanas to cover them and let them sit for 10-15 minutes, then drain and use.
- To assemble the salad, carefully arrange the tomato slices on a serving plate and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Lay the sultanas, olives, onions, walnuts and herbs over the top then drizzle over the dressing. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Leave the salad for 5 minutes, so all the flavours come together, before serving.
John's Tastes Of Italy 
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