Ottolenghi is a genius! His recipes, often using unexpected ingredients, always work and the end results are inevitably beyond what you could possibly imagine. This refreshing salad is basically his with a few alterations as not all of his ingredients are readily available where I live on the tropical island of Borneo. You can find the original one in his book PLENTY MORE. I've made it a dozen times, improvising a little more every time. This is just one version of it. 

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Ingredients

200g red cherry tomatoes, cut into small dice

200g yellow cherry tomatoes, cut into small dice

200g plum tomatoes, cut into small dice

500g medium vine tomatoes, cut into small dice

1 red capsicum, cut into small dice

1 small red onion, finely diced

6 large radishes, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 tsp ground allspice

2 tsp white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

60ml extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra to finish

seeds of 1 large pomegranate

1 tbsp basil, torn into fine strips

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Method

Mix together all the tomatoes, capsicum, red onion and radishes in a large bowl and set aside.

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In a small bowl, whisk the garlic, allspice, vinegar and maple syrup. Slowly drizzle in the 60ml of olive oil, whisking all the time. Add a little sea salt. Pour this over your tomato mixture and gently mix.

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Arrange the tomatoes, etc and their juices on a large flat plate. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and the basil. Finish with a drizzle of the olive oil.

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