Samphire, Broadbean and Cherry Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Main
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- 200g samphire
- 1kg broad beans in their pods
- 2-3 spring onions, trimmed and sliced thinly at an angle
- 2 thick-cut slices day old bread
- small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Dressing
- ½ garlic clove
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ lemon
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 120°C/Gas ½. Slice the tomatoes in half and lay face up on a baking tray. Season lightly with salt and pepper and a scant swish of olive oil.
- Cook in the oven for 40-50 minutes – you want them lightly cooked and dried out to concentrate the sweetness.
- Trim any tough stalks from the samphire, blanch in boiling water for 60 seconds, cool in iced water, drain and pat dry.
- Pod the beans, blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, cool in iced water and slip from their skins (a fun and tactile job until you exceed the need for more than a few kilos).
- For the croutons, cut the bread into 2cm squares, or pull into small course chucks if you are feeling overwhelmingly rustic on the day.
- Turn the oven up to 200 ̊C/Gas 6, lay the bread on a shallow baking tray and season with olive oil and a small amount of salt.
- Toss the bread in the oil as if dressing a salad so that the bread soaks up as much oil as possible. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, turning once half way through, until golden and slightly crisp.
For the dressing
- Finely crush the garlic with a small pinch of salt, add the mayo a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Whisk together and thin in to a dressing by adding olive oil. Add more lemon and seasoning to taste.
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and throw together with the dressing. Try not to fight over the croutons.
