Spicy Tomato and Garlic Salad with Tahini Dressing

Amarante

Thu, Oct 17 2019, 1:09 pm

This was very easy and a nice non-tossed green type of salad.

Removing the seeds and pith (white inner parts) of the jalapeño pepper decrease and essentially eliminate the heat and just leave behind a nice "tang".

Spicy Tomato and Garlic Salad with Tahini Dressing

This spicy, garlicky tomato salad enriched with tahini sauce goes deep on flavor. I’ve eaten it at M25 restaurant at the Carmel market in Tel Aviv, where it is served with arayes (see page 304), but it’s also delicious with all kinds of grilled meat.

GARLIC CONDIMENT

2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Small pinch of sugar
Small pinch of kosher salt

TAHINI DRESSING

½ cup (120 ml) best-quality raw tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ garlic clove, finely grated or minced
6 tablespoons (90 ml) ice water
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

SALAD

1 pint (455 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
½ to 1 jalapeño chile (depending on the jalapeño and how spicy you want the salad), cored, seeded, and sliced paper-thin
1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Make the garlic condiment: Combine the garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir to blend, then stir in the oil, sugar, and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. This will mellow the strong flavor of the raw garlic.

Make the tahini dressing: Pour the tahini into a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and garlic, followed by the ice water, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Keep whisking until the mixture is creamy with a consistency similar to a creamy hummus; you may not use all the water. Whisk in the salt and several twists of pepper and set aside.

Assemble the salad: Toss the cherry tomatoes and jalapeño in a medium bowl with the lemon juice, oil, and salt. Spread the tahini dressing around the rim of a serving dish as you would hummus, leaving a well in the center for the tomatoes. Pile the tomatoes and jalapeño into the well, then spoon the garlic condiment over them. Serve at once, before the tomatoes become soupy.