When heirloom tomatoes are at their peak, the best way to eat them is raw! The herbed cashew cheese is a perfect accompaniment. Serve with a green salad, crostini or crudité. Play around with different colors of tomatoes for a visually appealing salad.
Serves 4
For the ricotta:
1 cup soaked raw cashews (soak in filtered water for two hours ad discard the water)
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped herbs (basil or cilantro)
In a food processor, puree the soaked cashews with the lemon juice, garlic and nutritional yeast. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roll the cashews into a 3 4” long logs and roll in the herbs. Allow to set in your refrigerator until you can slice them.
For the charred tomato vinaigrette:
2 large heirloom tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
pinch cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
On a grill (or in a grill pan) cook the tomatoes until the skin is blistered and there are grill marks. If you don’t have a grill pan or grill, you can cook the tomatoes in a cast iron pan until slightly blackened. Alternatively you can roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Make sure to toss the tomatoes in some olive if you choose to do that.
When the tomatoes are charred on all sides, remove from the grill and allow to cool before handling, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove the skins from the tomatoes, and transfer the tomatoes to a blender. Add the vinegar, garlic, mustard and blend well. Slowly add the olive oil and blend until it’s emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the salad:
3 large heirloom tomatoes
2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt for seasoning
balsamic vinegar (optional)
To assemble the salad, slice the tomatoes into thick slices. Arrange on a plate with 1/2” thick slices of the herbed cashew cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, charred tomato vinaigrette and balsamic vinegar if desired.
Garnish with more herbs on the plate.
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