300g mixed, heritage tomatoes 200g mixed cherry tomatoes 4 peaches 1 small, red onion 1 Burrata cheese a handful of basil leaves
Dressing: 30ml olive oil 30ml lemon juice 15ml balsamic vinegar a pinch of salt a few grindings of black pepper
Slice the tomato into quarters/thick slices and place on a serving plate. Half the cherry tomatoes and add to the heritage tomatoes. Wash and dry the peaches and then slice into wedges. Slice the red onion and add to the tomato and peach. Break the burrata into chunks and place on top of the other ingredients. Chop the basil leaves and sprinkle over the salad.
Dressing: Add all the ingredients to a cup and whisk together. Drizzle over the salad and serve.
2 sheets frozen pastry 100g cream cheese (I used garlic and herb flavoured), room temperature 350g mixed tomatoes 100g blue cheese egg-wash: one egg yolk whisked with 15ml water a handful of basil leaves, chopped
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place one sheet of pastry on the baking sheet and trim it neatly into a square or rectangle. Cut 1cm wide strips, the length of the other pastry and place them neatly on the outer borders so that it forms a frame. Spread the cream cheese on the inside section of the “frame” and spread it out evenly. Slice the tomato into thick slices and arrange a layer on the cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Break up the blue cheese and arrange pieces of it all over the tomato. Finally add another layer of tomato and drizzle over some olive oil. Brush the outside edges of the pastry with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden. Remove the tomato tart from the oven and drizzle with some more olive oil. Sprinkle the basil over when you are ready to serve.
250ml uncooked sorghum 250ml black olives, pips taken out and quartered 250ml cubed feta cheese 500ml cubed tomato a bunch of basil, shredded 125ml mayonnaise 30ml chilli oil (or regular olive oil) 15ml lemon juice
Cook the sorghum according to the packet instructions and allow to cool completely. Add the sorghum, olives, feta, tomato and basil to a bowl and mix together. Add the mayonnaise, chilli oil and lemon juice to a small bowl and whisk together until amalgamated. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix to serve.
Place the chicken on a chopping board and halve it horizontally/in its length. Place one piece of chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it with a rolling pin until it is 1cm thick. Season with salt, pepper and the Italian herbs. Add the flour to a shallow bowl and dredge both sides of each chicken piece in the flour. Add the olive oil to a pan set over medium-high heat and sear a few pieces of chicken at a time. (about 4 minutes). Set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and pour the wine into the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen all the bits stuck to it while the wine bubbles away, allowing it to reduce by half. Add the butter and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over and stir-fry for another minute. Now add the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the onion seeds, oregano, mustard and sugar and stir. Add the stock a little at a time while stirring continuously. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Pour the milk and the cream into the mixture in the same way. Stir in the cream cheese and parmesan. Add the tomato, heat through and turn off the heat. Scatter the basil over, stir and stand for 5 minutes before serving.
200g + 50g feta, crumbled 100ml milk 350g cherry tomatoes, halved 1 small cucumber, diced a handful of basil, chopped half an onion, finely chopped 30ml balsamic vinegar 30ml olive oil 20g pine nuts, toasted
Crumble the feta into a blender’s cup and add half the milk. Blitz with an immersion blender until it becomes emulsified – add the rest of the milk a little at a time, aiming for a creamy consistency that will sit on a plate. Crumb the 50g feta into the whipped feta and spread on a serving plate. Add the halved tomatoes, cucumber, basil and onion to a mixing bowl and pour over the balsamic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix together and spoon on to the whipped feta. Scatter over the toasted pine nuts and a few extra basil leaves.
45ml butter 30ml olive oil 4 leeks, washed and sliced in coins 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato 15ml sugar 5ml salt 500ml vegetable stock 60ml cream a handful of basil leaves
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the butter and olive oil. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until just before the leaks start to caramelise. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the tomato, sugar, salt and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Blitz the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and place it back on a medium-high heat. Pour in the cream and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Scatter over the basil leaves and serve with toasted cheese sandwiches.
Slice the ends off the tomatoes so that you have straight edges. Place the tomato on one of the straight edges and halve it horizontally. Cut out the flesh on the inside so that you are left with 2 tomato rings. Place a frying pan on medium-high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and place the tomato rings in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, until warm and flip around. Now break an egg in each tomato ring, season with salt and pepper and place a lid on the pan. Cook until the egg is set to your liking and serve at once.
1 litre vegetable stock 30ml olive oil 30ml butter 1 onion, finely diced 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomato 45ml tomato puree 125ml white wine 250ml arborio rice 45ml grated parmesan cheese and more for serving 125ml basil leaves, finely chopped
Pour the stock in a small saucepan and heat it over a medium-low heat until just barely simmering. Place a wide, heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the two cans of tomato and the tomato puree and cook for 15 minutes, until the mixture looks concentrated. Add the white wine and cook for another 10 minutes or so to allow most of the moisture to evaporate. Pour in the rice and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Add two ladles of stock to the saucepan while simmering. Adjust the heat accordingly and stir continuously. Once the mixture starts to look dry again, add another two ladles of stock. Keep going, repeating the process, until the rice is el dente. Turn off the heat and add the parmesan cheese and basil. Stir through. Serve the risotto immediately with extra parmesan to grate over.
1 x 400g roll Today puff pastry egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water beaten together 4 large tomatoes a handful of basil olive oil balsamic vinegar
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Unroll the puff pastry and place it on the paper. (Trim the pastry to fit the baking sheet) Lightly score the pastry down the centre in the length. Now score it in half and then halve each square. You should have 8 squares – be careful to score and not cut through! Whisk together the egg yolk and water and lightly brush the pastry all over. Refrigerate until needed. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to the boil. Make a cross incision (x) in the tomato skin on the bottom. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Now lower the tomatoes into the boiling water and simmer for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge it into the ice water. Remove the skins once they start to curl back from the flesh. Halve the naked tomatoes horizontally. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Place a basil leave in the centre of each of the marked squares. Place half a tomato, cut-side down on the basil and drizzle the tomato with a few drops of oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar while very warm. Slice the tart into 8 portions and serve as a side.
My Whisk and I 