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Salads as whole meals are often disappointing, either bland or too potato- or pasta-centric to be classified as such. The solution is tonnato, says Rosie Healy, head chef at Gloriosa and Glasgow’s “salad queen,” according to readers who shared her cooking with me. Healy recommends tonnato as a rich, hearty base for almost any cold vegetable, such as green beans or tomatoes with capers and thinly sliced red onion. For this recipe, she suggests doubling or tripling the salmoriglio and storing it in the fridge.
drink
Rosie recommends a Cava such as Azimut Cava Brut, a cider-flavored drink from Catalonia.
Replacement
You can use borrotti beans in the same way as chickpeas – if you can get hold of dried chickpeas I recommend them – take 100g, soak them in water overnight and then boil with a little salt for about an hour and a half until soft.
Tip
Rosie says tonnato also makes a delicious salad dressing when mixed with leafy greens, like in a Caesar salad.
Rosie Healy’s Grilled Zucchini and Chickpea Salad with Tonnato
Serves 4
For salads
Oregano Salmoririo
In the case of Tonnart
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Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them skin-side down and flesh-side up on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little flaky salt and sugar. Bake in the oven at 120°C for 1 hour. Leave to cool.
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Make the salmoriglio: pick the oregano leaves and put the garlic cloves in a mortar with a little salt and pound them into a paste with a pestle. Add the oregano leaves little by little and add a little salt to break down the oregano. Once you have a green paste, add lemon juice, good quality olive oil and chilli flakes to make the sauce.
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Make the tonnato: Place all ingredients except the water and oil in a food processor and blend until you get a rough paste. With the processor running, add the water, then slowly add the oil until you get a glossy sauce. Taste to taste.
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Slice the courgettes lengthwise so each slice is about the thickness of a pound coin. Sprinkle with a little salt and olive oil. Heat a griddle pan until it’s really hot and add the courgettes. Lay them out evenly in a single layer. Cook for a minute on one side, without moving, then on the other side. Remove from the heat and lay flat on a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining courgettes.
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Put the zucchini in a bowl, add the tomatoes and chickpeas, and gently mix in 5 tablespoons of Salmoriglio and a pinch of salt, being careful not to break up the tomatoes. Add the basil leaves and mix well.
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Put the tonnato sauce on a plate, top with the dressed zucchini salad, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and finally sprinkle with salt.
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