TOMATO CHORIZO AND ALMOND SALAD

This is a great big substantial plate of warm and spicy ‘red’ flavours. The tomatoes, chorizo and saffron give it a sunshine feel. As it is very simple, the tomatoes need to be ripe and flavourful, and the olive oil, olives and almonds should be the finest you can lay your hands on. Tomatoes always taste best at room temperature; even storing them in the fridge spoils the flavour and texture.

INGREDIENTS

SERVES: 6

2 large beefsteak tomatoes

6 plum tomatoes

A splash of dry sherry (about 40ml)

A large pinch of saffron strands

100ml extra virgin olive oil

150g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained weight, oil reserved), halved

garlic cloves, grated

200g roasted salted almonds

150g green olives, ideally Manzanillo, pitted and sliced

A bunch of sage (about 15g), thick stem removed, leaves roughly chopped

200g picante dry-cured chorizo, thinly sliced

250g whole chorizo sausages (for cooking)

Flaky sea salt

METHOD

1: Slice all the fresh tomatoes very thinly and layer them on a large serving platter. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and set aside.

2: In a small saucepan, gently warm the sherry with the saffron until the strands release their flavour and colour. Add the olive oil and the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, and gently heat through for 3–5 minutes. Add the garlic, remove from the heat and leave to cool.

3: Gently mix the roasted almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and chopped sage with the fresh tomatoes. Fold through the cured, sliced chorizo.

4: Warm a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the raw chorizo sausages and cook, turning as necessary, until cooked through. Remove from the pan and slice on an angle then mix into the tomatoes while still warm. Drizzle over the saffron-infused oil and serve.

Share this Recipe