Tomato and Pickled Courgette Salad

Aren’t tomatoes just the best? So sweet you can eat them like an apple, so juicy and acidic and rich, full of umami and they come in all colours, shapes and sizes. They’re synonymous with summer and every gardener I know races to be the first to grow their own each year. Whilst mine are still little and green, I thought I’d support one of my fantastic local organic producers here in Wales, Liz Findlay at Nantclyd, who has worked her usual magic and beaten everybody else I know with some stunningly sweet tomatoes.

Sometimes the most simple recipes are the best. And what better to celebrate the season than a combination of our much coveted tomatoes, bountiful courgettes, and freshly hung garlic? Inspired by a dish I used to make for a Spanish restaurant, this version includes quick pickled courgettes for additional acidity and a nice way to use up a crop we’re soon going to be swimming in.

To get the most from your favours, this salad is best eaten when warm from sitting in the sun. There are a lot of ingredients that taste much better (from berries and fruit to cheeses) when they’re as warm as they would be if they were still bathing in sunlight in your garden. So, when making this salad, either pick your produce fresh from the garden, or leave them on the windowsill in full sunlight for 30 minutes before preparing them.

The trick to this recipe is to spend 5 minutes preparing an infused oil and pickling liquor in the morning so that they’re ready for lunch time. Besides that, everything else is chopped and assembled directly on the plate and takes no time at all.

Tomato and Pickled Courgette Recipe
Serves 2 (Side)

Pickle Ingredients:

• 1 Large courgette (or 2-3 small courgettes of different varieties)

• 500ml Cider vinegar

• 130g Raw cane / Demerara sugar

• 1 tsp Mustard seeds

• 1 tsp Green coriander seeds

Garlic Infused Oil:

• 3 Cloves of garlic

• 150ml Extra virgin olive oil

• A pinch of smoked sea salt

Remaining Ingredients:

• 800g Tomato

• Fresh parsley

Step 1.

Begin by simmering 130ml of cider vinegar in a saucepan with the sugar, mustard seeds and coriander seeds. Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved, then remove from the heat and add the remaining cider vinegar to speed up the cooling of the pickling liquor.

Step 2.

As you wait for the pickling liquor to cool to room temperature, peel and crush the garlic into a small containing or bowl and crush the salt into it. Add the olive oil, the tastiest you can find, give it a mix, cover it and leave it to infuse.

Step 3.

Next, using a mandoline, slice the courgette into 1-2mm thin slices and pop them in a jar with the pickling liquor. Give it a shake to make sure the courgette slices are separated to allow the liquor to get between them, then pop it in the fridge until you need them. This pickling recipe takes an hour at least, but can be stored in a fridge for a month.

Step 4.

When you’re ready for lunch, pick and wash your tomatoes (or grab them from their sunny spot on the windowsill) and cut them into thick, 1cm slices with a sharp knife. Arrange them on the plate with as much courgette as you’d like, and dress with a hearty amount of the garlic oil (including the crushed garlic too). Finish with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley and a pinch of sea salt for good measure.