Kia ora koutou! I hope your new year has got off to an ok start? I know we’re living in some pretty weird times right now, but I hope amongst all of that you’re managing to stay sane, healthy and well. I took a little time off at the start of the year and it was just what I needed.
For those of you who aren’t on social media, you may have missed this big news about my new cookbook coming out in April! I’ve also got some great new news to share too… the release date has now been brought forward a few weeks from April 21st to April 7th, so that means there’s only a little over 8 weeks until it’s out in the world! You can pre-order online from most sites, but do make sure you ask your local book store too, as I’m sure many will happily pre-order and put aside a copy for you. I’m also going to have signed copies available on my site (for NZ postage only at this stage due to mega covid-induced price hikes in shipping) in the next few weeks, so if you’d like one of them, keep an eye out. I’m also working on a special something to go alongside any pre-orders from my store, just to say a special thank you for your support.
What else? We’re just starting to work on a bunch of events that will take place throughout April and beyond and I’m really hoping to get around NZ a bit to say hi and share my new book. If you haven’t already clicked through to my IG post, please do! I’ve shared the cover and a little info about what makes this book different and special. I’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks too.
Right, salad. You guys know how much I love a good flavour-packed substantial salad right? Well this one’s an absolute winner, intense juicy thyme-roasted tomatoes, basmati rice, herbs en masse and extra oomph by way of preserved lemon and sumac. Yum.
We’re just starting to get more and more tomatoes ripening in our garden but it’s looking like a later season than usual thanks to this weird cold at night weather we’ve been having (FYI these shots were taken a few summer’s ago!). It won’t be until next month that the real glut begins and this is when roasting tomatoes to intensify becomes my go-to flavour-bomb addition to late summer salads. This salad is the perfect make-ahead dish to take along to summer BBQ’s and the leftovers are great too!
Thyme-roasted tomato + rice salad with preserved lemon + sumac
Ingredients
- 1 kg tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves roughly choppped
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
salad
- 1 1/2 cups white basmati rice rinsed well
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 preserved lemon skin finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds lightly toasted
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- big handful coriander (cilantro) leaves + tender stems roughly chopped
- small handful flat parsley leaves roughly chopped
- pinch dried chilli flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170C. Slice tomatoes in half and place onto an oven tray (or two).Sprinkle with thyme and sumac, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 1 hour, or until slightly dried but still juicy in the centre.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add basmati rice and give it a good stir. Cook for 7 minutes, drain well then return rice to the saucepan, cover with a tight-fitting lid and set aside to steam for a further 15 minutes before fluffing up with a fork.
- Transfer rice to a large bowl, stir through onion, preserved lemon, sesame seeds, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, before stirring through herbs, chilli flakes (if using) and roasted tomatoes. Any leftovers will store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
