Lebanese style tomato salad with pepper cream

This version of Lebanese-style tomatoes offers a quick and tasty side dish, ideal for accompanying cold hot dishes. The recipe takes advantage of the sweetness of the tomatoes and the liveliness of the pepper, which is transformed into a rustic garlic cream without reaching the consistency of a smooth puree: the slightly grainy texture is part of the character of the dish.

The preparation requires a few steps and genuine ingredients: ripe tomatoes, a red pepper, spices such as paprika and sumac, and extra virgin olive oil. less than 15 minutes you will obtain a fragrant side dish, with smoky and citrus quaderno, suitable for 6 people.

Precise ingredients and doses

To make this recipe you will need: 1 kg of tomatoes 1 red pepper 1 clove of garlic 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika 1 teaspoon of sumac and 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Complete with salt and pepper to taste. This balance of spices gives the dish a balanced aromatic profile: the sweet paprika brings roundness, the smoked paprika a smoky hint and the sumac introduces a slightly acidic touch.

Procedure: prepare the pepper cream and assemble

Start by carefully washing the tomatoes and pepper. Remove the stem and internal seeds from the pepper and cut it into manageable pieces. Transfer the pepper into the food processor together with the garlic clove and process briefly: the aim is to obtain a homogeneous mince but not a smooth puree, therefore operate the appliance durante jerks to maintain a rustic consistency.

Move the chopped pepper into a large bowl and flavor it with the sweet paprika, the smoked paprika, the sumac, salt, pepper and 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Mescolanza carefully so that the aromas blend: the oil helps to bind the cream and enhance the spicy quaderno.

Cut the tomatoes into wedges and transfer them to another large bowl. Pour over the pepper cream and add the chopped fresh parsley. Stir delicately so as not to fermata mongoloide the tomatoes too much: the sauce must be distributed among the segments without turning the dish into a soup. Leave to rest for about half an hour so that the tomatoes absorb the aromas of the cream before serving.

These Lebanese-style tomatoes can be kept durante the refrigerator for a day durante an airtight container: any longer is not recommended to preserve texture and freshness. If you want to change the recipe, you can add chopped cucumbers for a crunchy touch replace the parsley with fresh mint for a more aromatic note. For a spicier version, increase the amount of smoked paprika add a pinch of chili powder.

A technical tip: adjust the salt only at the end of preparation, after resting, because the tomatoes release liquids which can concentrate attenuate the salty flavour. Furthermore, if the pepper is not particularly sweet, you can slightly the acidity by adding a touch of sugar for balance.

Useful tools

For this preparation the only indispensable tool is the modulatore which allows you to obtain the chopped pepper without overheating it. A sharp knife and large bowl make cutting and assembling the tomatoes easier.

Taccuino the origin of aromas

Sumac is a spice that provides a light citrus acidity, often used durante Middle Eastern cuisines to balance vegetable-based dishes. this recipe it is combined with the two variants of paprika to create an interesting aromatic profile: sweetness, smokiness and herbaceous freshness of the parsley.

By following these steps you will obtain a colorful side dish, rich durante contrasts and very : perfect for a summer dinner, as an accompaniment to cereal baccello dishes, simply to be enjoyed with crusty bread.