July 6, 2017 — Healthy

Tomato Salad—Simple and Visually Satisfying

  • 30 minutes
  • 1 PEOPLE
  • medium

This is inspired by a recipe in the book, 'Salad' by Amy Nathan (1985).

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Share this yummy recipe with a friend on WhatsApp

Follow us on Instagram — @WhatDadCooked

What you need

Tomatoes

A selection of tomatoes – aim for an optimum contrast in colour and size, for example:

Coeur de boeuf

Yellow and green globe

Yellow, orange and red plum

Red cherry

For the salad

Fresh basil

Dried basil flowers – or oregano

Olives to garnish

Salt and pepper

For the dressing

Dressing made from best quality olive oil and white Cabernet Sauvingnon vinegar (1:3 proportion)

 

 

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Dad's Recipe Tales

In 1988, an artist friend, gave us a very ‘artistic’ cookbook. The book was Salad, by Amy Nathan and Kathryn Kleinman, (1985). According to the sleeve notes, it was full of ‘stunning salad dishes to delight the eye as well as the palate.’ At the time the book was published, the modern English restaurant scene – with its regalia of Michelin stars and Instagram galleries of beautifully crafted food images – was still waiting in the wings. It’s therefore remarkable that a cookbook, 32 years old, should include such arresting visuals of food – it was clearly well ahead of its time.

Each plate of food (and photographic ‘plate’), was immaculately composed into symmetrical or asymmetrical patterns. The food was shot on top of a light box using transparent dinner plates, a technique that emphasised not only the colour and shape of the food, but also the creativity of the authors. These days, the photographer’s light box has been replaced by burnished metal or distressed wood, the transparent plates with artisan crockery. Both styles could be accused of fetishising food, however, the intention of Salad is not to stimulate a ‘food porn’ reaction, but rather to show the food in a more elemental and refined light so that each ingredient might be appreciated for its own sake. Salad’s dishes are reminiscent of Nouvelle Cuisine, its characteristic lightness of touch, lightly cooked ingredients and the minimalist approach to arranging food could have been an inspiration for the book.

I’ve been critical of the new trend in scattering grains, seeds and whole foods on a plate. I imagined treating ingredients as an assortment of components brought together in a random manner will only create endless nondescript dishes. What is needed is a greater appreciation of the ingredient: why is it distinctive, what are its characteristics, what does it add to the plate, can it be complimented or contrasted by other ingredients? I sense our Salad authors considered this as much as the visual appeal.

My versions, are adapted to add further ideas, either in the visual impact or in the flavour combination. The tomato salad, is simplicity itself. But, it allows us to pause and acknowledge the different tomato varieties. I have also attempted to add, where possible, new ideas about taste and texture contrasts such as savoury, fresh and crunch. A baked goat’s cheese is turned into a poppy flower incorporating beetroot. A pear dish is less about leaves and flowers and more about a classic pairing of flavours.

Salad should be used by culinary colleges to help students with their presentation and appreciation of flavour combinations. It certainly made me re-think how I put food on a plate and provided new insights into combining food.

For art inspired salad recipes check out some of these: Smoked Chicken, Smoked Salmon and Parma Ham Salad, Capellini, Tomato Consomme and Tuna or Plum Soba, Prawns and Shiso Salad.

 

Check out the book in the below link:

How Dad Cooked It

This tomato salad recipe is really to select a range of tomatoes and arrange on an individual plate in a visually satisfying manner.

You may find simply dropping the tomatoes randomly will produce the desired effect. If not, then like me, you will need a full 30 minutes of trial and error before you will be happy with the arrangement. This is an excellent exercise in the presentation of ingredients so that they look haphazard, yet comfortably composed. In fact, each item was placed in a precisely calculated position, in order to maximise the artistic effect.

Add herbs and olives, dress just before serving – or allow guests to pour their own dressing.

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