Heirloom tomatoes with white gazpacho dressing

This is the beginning of fresh and light salads for this season on this blog. We already have quite a few on this blog from the last season. Tapas is considered to be the pinnacle of cooking. A single bite must be perfect to look at, balanced beautifully with spices and herbs, and perfect in every way. Although tapas cuisine is most famous in Spain, this style is also seen in Japan, Peru, Scandinavian countries, and Central and South America. In addition, tapas include small plates, like patatas bravas, toasts, and salads, just enough for a bite for each of us at the table. This salad screams farm-fresh ingredients. My parents recently visited a farm that belongs to a dear on the outskirts of Hyderabad and came back with handfuls of beautiful vegetables, eggplant, drumsticks, kaffir limes, and these absolutely gorgeous tomatoes. I would not let these be turned into a curry; they were just so good. This salad highlights these tomatoes, beautifully balanced with the tartness of vinegar and drizzled with the creamy Ajo Blanco. The fresh herbs (from our garden) and tomatoes highlight beautiful and delicious farm produce. The magic in this salad is the quick pickled scallions. Yes, do not take that shortcut and use plain scallions. Boqueria started as a New York tapa bar, and a few are now in major US cities, specialising in Spanish cuisine. They work at getting the best ingredients to the table to make absolutely fabulous dishes at each of their restaurants. I am always partial to Spanish cuisine, so I had to get this gorgeous cookbook, and so far, I have loved every recipe I have tried from it. I highly recommend this cookbook for those folks or cooks who want to up their tapa game at home and wow your guests.

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups heirloom tomatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces

1 tablespoon fresh basil, torn roughly

1 tablespoon fresh dill, torn roughly

1/4 cup pickled scallions, cut into small pieces. Recipe follows

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons Ajo blanco dip; recipe follows

For the Ajo blanco dip:

1/2 cup roasted almonds

1 small garlic clove

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

3 tablespoons water plus a bit

Salt to taste

3 tablespoons EVOO

For the pickles scallions:

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 flake star anise

6 black peppercorns

1 whole clove

1 teaspoon yellow or black mustard seeds

1/2 chili arbol

1 garlic clove

1 small piece of bay leaf

A small pinch of thyme

A small pinch of rosemary

6-8 scallions, cleaned and cut into 2-inch pieces

To pickle the scallions:

Add all the pickling liquids, spices, and herbs to a small pot and simmer until sugar is melted. Allow to cool and strain out all the solids. Add the scallions and soak for at least 3 hours or overnight. Seal in a jar and pickle, and use for as long as 1 month in the refrigerator.

Note: You can substitute any other vegetables for pickles, too, like carrots, radish, cauliflower, onions, shallots, cucumbers, and so on. If the vegetables are very hard, like cauliflower, carrots, etc., blanch them slightly before pickling.

To make the Ajo blanco dip:

Add all the ingredients to a small blender and purée into a thick sauce. Add as little water as possible, and only if needed. The dip should have a heavy consistency to cling to the vegetables. Note: This recipe makes for many dips. It is delicious, and you can serve it with fresh vegetables on a crudités platter.

To assemble the salad:

This salad is best assembled right before serving so that the vinegars do not soften the herbs and tomatoes.

Toss the tomatoes with basil, dill, pickled scallions, and vinegar in a deep or wide, shallow bowl—season with salt and pepper.

Mix the lemon/lime juice into the Ajo blanco dip. Drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.