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Prep time
45 minutes
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Cook time
8 minutes
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Serves
6
Author Notes
In a perfect world, perfect tomatoes would be available twelve months a year. But it’s not perfect here in the United States, so you need to take advantage of August and September, planning every tomato dish like a delicious invasion. Step one: Find a good place to buy real heirloom tomatoes. I often have this flashback of being in Ghana at the first market there I ever went to. I remember thinking, “This tomato looks like it’s an heirloom tomato.” It was the same seed varietals that we see in heirlooms in the U.S. You could see it in the shape, the texture, the color, and the sizes. These were beautiful red, green, and orange tomatoes that they were selling for twenty-five cents. You’ll pay ten times that in the United States.
Thinking back to that market, I wanted to figure out how to highlight this tomato salad like you might have in Ghana.
Excerpted BETWEEN HARLEM AND HEAVEN: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers. Copyright © 2018 by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Beatriz da Costa. —JJ Johnson
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Ingredients
- Tomato salad
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2 pounds
colorful heirloom tomatoes, halved, or quartered if large
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1/4 cup
fresh Thai basil torn, plus small whole leaves for garnish
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1 teaspoon
smoked sea salt (or 1½ teaspoons kosher salt)
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1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
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Curry Lime Yogurt Dressing (recipe below)
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1/2 cup
Pickled Red Onions (recipe below)
- Curry Lime Yogurt Dressing & Pickled Onions
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1/2 cup
full-fat Greek yogurt
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1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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1 teaspoon
curry powder
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1 teaspoon
fresh lime juice
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Teaspoon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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1/3 cup
champagne vinegar
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2 tablespoons
sugar
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1 1/2 teaspoons
coriander seeds
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1
large red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
Directions
- Tomato salad
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In a medium bowl, gently toss the tomatoes and basil with the salt and pepper. Let stand for 10 minutes.
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Spread the dressing on a serving platter and top with the tomato salad. Garnish with pickled onions and basil leaves for an extra pop of color and flavor.
- Curry Lime Yogurt Dressing & Pickled Onions
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To make the dressing: Whisk together the yogurt, oil, curry powder, and lime juice in a medium bowl until the yogurt is completely smooth and the golden color of the curry powder is evenly distributed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use.
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To make the pickled onions: Combine the vinegar, 1 cup water, the sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and coriander in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved, and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat and allow the pickling liquid to simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes. In a nonreactive, heatproof pint-size container, carefully pour the boiling hot liquid over the onion, covering it completely. Let sit until cooled to room temperature. Once the onions have cooled to room temperature, cover with an airtight lid and store in the refrigerator until needed.
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