TOMATO & SESAME SALAD

Sesame seeds and oil add depth to this simple salad. If you have ripe tomatoes to use up, you won’t regret it!

Preparation 10 minutes, plus standing Serves 4-6 as a side

1 TBSP SESAME SEEDS

600G RIPE MIXED TOMATOES

20G FRESH BASIL OR ANY SOFT HERB (I LIKE MINT, TOO!) 2 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

3 TBSP SESAME OIL

2 TBSP SHERRY VINEGAR, RED WINE VINEGAR OR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

1 Toast the sesame seeds in a pan over a low-medium heat for a couple of minutes, tossing often to avoid any burning. Once golden, remove from the heat.

2 Roughly slice, wedge or halve the tomatoes, however you like. 3 Remove the basil leaves from their stalks and finely slice the stalks (keep the leaves whole).

4 Transfer the tomatoes and basil to a salad bowl and add the toasted sesame seeds, oils and vinegar, along with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, tossing it all together to coat and combine.

5 Leave on the side for 30 minutes before serving.

1 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) gas mark 6. Place a large baking sheet inside to heat up. 2 Lay the pastry over a 23cm tart pan. Remove the excess and roll into a ball. Use it to push the pastry into the inner edges of the pan and up the sides. Lightly prick the base with a fork. 3 Scrunch up a piece of parchment paper, then open it out (making it more pliable). Put over pastry and pour in baking beans. Blind-bake for 20 minutes. 4 Remove from the oven, lift out the baking beans and parchment paper, then return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until the pastry has a dry, sandy texture. Remove from the oven and set aside. 5 Peel and trim shallots and quarter lengthways. Cut the spring onions into 6cm chunks. Pull the stalks off the leafy greens and break into several pieces.

6 Gently fry the onions and stalks in a glug of oil for 15 minutes, until lightly caramelised. Add the leaves and let them wilt. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool.

7 Once cool, tear in the leafy herbs (stalks and all) and add cheese. 8 In a jug, whisk the eggs, cream and milk with some seasoning. 9 Trim the edges of the cooked and cooled pastry case by running a serrated knife around the edge of the tart pan.

10 Pile in the onion, greens and cheese mixture, then spread it out across the base. Finally, pour the egg mixture over the top. 11 Return to the top shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, until just set and lightly golden on top. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.