Pomegranate and tomato salad

Tomato and pomegranate are a new match made in heaven.

Ottolenghi raves about this recipe of his. From the Plenty More cookbook and based on a dish he tasted in Istanbul, Turkey. This is an upscale version of a simple tomato and onion salad. 

From early November, when these ingredients start to pop up fresh and sometimes even on special, please try this dish it is divine. It is fresh, light and perfect with any meal from roast fish, pork, to a barbecue with steak and sausages...The fine dicing means it can go from a beautiful side dish to a salsa alongside other salads on the table.

It would be a great dish to bring as your contribution to a picnic or barbecue for colourful wow factor.

Pictured:  Pomegranate and tomato salad

1kg of mixed, ripe tomatoes - preferably cherry and vine ripened, importantly full of sweet flavour

1 red capsicum

1 small red onion

1 pomegranate, seeds removed

1 tbsp oregano leaves

Dressing -

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp ground allspice

2 tsp white wine vinegar

1 ½ tbsp pomegranate molasses

60ml extra virgin olive oil, mild flavour, plus a little extra to drizzle

Sea Salt

Firstly, make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together until well combined.

Prepare the vegetables, by dicing the tomatoes and capsicum to a rough ½ cm dice. Finely dice the onion. Remove the pomegranate seeds. Roughly chop the oregano leaves if they are a little large.

To prepare the salad for serving-

In a large wide bowl, mix in the tomatoes, capsicum and onion. Pour the dressing over and gently mix. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and oregano, then drizzle with a little oil.

Serves 4 - 6