Heirloom Tomato Salad with Gazpacho Vinaigrette & Halloumi

For the salad

• 2-3-0r 4 Prettiest Heirlooms you can find
• 1 package halloumi cheese (can sub feta)
• 2 pitas
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil or Garlic oil
• 1 clove garlic (if you don't have garlic oil)
• 1/4 cup Fresh mint
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsely
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt & Pepper

Gazpacho Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pimenton or pimento d'espellette, or just plain old spanish paprika, whatever you have
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 3/4 cups Olive oil
• 1 pinch cumin
• 1/4 cup Cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 1/4 cup finely diced watermelon
• 1 tablespoon diced celery (peeled)
• 1/4 cup finely diced tomato (use the tops & bottoms!)
• 1/4 cup finely diced red or orange pepper (peeled)
• Salt & pepper
• tiny mint leaves for garnish

1. Cut Halloumi in to 1" cubes
2. Tear Pita in to irregular pieces @ 1" all around
3. Blend herbs with garlic oil, lemon zest & lemon juice. Taste, season with salt & pepper
4. Pour herb/lemon mixture over Cheese & Pita bits, toss well
5. Remove pita bits and lay cookie rack over a sheet pan, and toast in 350 degree oven, @10-15 min or so till crunchy (can be done ahead and kept in air tight container), alternatively you can sautee these as you would a crouton until they get crispy.
6. Set a pot of salted water up to boil & a bowl of ice & cold water for blanching.
7. Whisk together, Sherry vinegar, smashed garlic clove, cumin & paprika (or pimenton)...slowly add olive oil to emulsify. (if you do this in blender, consider adding only half the garlic. Taste , adjust seasoning, adding more oil if needed
8. Mix the tiny veg dice into the vinaigrette and put in fridge (@ 10 min)
9. With a very sharp knife, make an X at the base of each tomato, plunge the tomatoes into the pot of water, count to 10 and then scoop then out with a slotted spoon and plunge them in to the ice bath.*
10. Count to 10 again, and then carefully peel the tomatoes.
11. Slice thinly, starting at the base and working towards the top
12. Lay the tomatoes in slightly overlapping layers on a flat platter or plate. It should resemble a mosaic, or a cross section of a Chihuly glass sculpture. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt & pepper.
13. Heat a non stick pan till very hot, add halloumi cubes, and sear on two sides (or you can grill).
14. Spoon the vinaigrette across the middle of the tomatoes in a thin line (so it's like a stripe)
15. Strew Cheese Cubes, Pita bits and Baby Mint leaves around the platter, sprinkle with additional pimenton if you wish.
16. * You don't have to blanch the tomatoes, I do, because it makes them every so slightly easier to eat without using a knife.
17. This would be fantastic as a starter or side to a dinner of grilled lamb marinated in lots of garlic & herbs. Or you can easily add a protein to this to make it a main course salad..grilled shrimp, scallops, some leftover lobster, it would also take well to grilled chicken..or white flesh fish.