Warm Tomato & Chorizo Salad with Olives

Whenever my husband is away for work I always try to eat as many tomatoes as possible! It means I get my full-on tomato fix without having to listen to any complaints, change recipes or make him something else, and he's happy as he doesn't have to eat it!! Tomato Pasta is always high on the list as well as many different Tomato Salads including this one with Chorizo and Black Olives.

I'm not sure if this should really be called a Salad but in all honesty I couldn't think of a better way to describe it! It's a perfect meal for a warm Summer evening when you want something full of punchy flavours but still light enough not to leave you sluggish and overly full. I like to eat it with lots of fresh, crusty French bread to mop up all the sauces but it is also delicious served as part of a Tapas menu or for something a little more filling spooned through some hot pasta and for an extra special treat I have it with a few slices of mozzarella on the side. As far as I am concerned it doesn't get any better than this, especially when enjoyed outside in the sun with a cold glass of white wine. Bliss.

Since this is a dish I save as a treat just for myself this recipe only serves 1 but it can easily be adapted to feed many more.

Flatbread Pizza

This has got to be one of my favourite things to eat for lunch. It's so super quick and easy but so unbelievably delicious. All you need is some bought flatbreads (for example pita bread), some cheese and tomato and in less than 10 minutes you have an amazing lunch. Of course just like any pizza you can change the toppings to whatever you like. In the middle of Summer I will quite often add some thin ribbons of Zucchini but for the most part I can't resist the classic and very simple Tomato and Mozzarella.

Quantities make 1 pizza

1 flatbread of your choice ( I use wholemeal pita's that are thin)

Extra virgin olive oil

½ tomato, roughly chopped

Fresh mozzarella, roughly chopped or torn apart

4 Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half

½ fresh chilli, finely chopped (optional)

scattering of fresh basil leaves

Maldon sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

To make the pizza simply brush a little extra virgin olive oil over one side of the flatbread. Scatter over the chopped tomato, mozzarella, olives and chilli and then pop onto a baking tray and cook under a hot grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbling and the edges of the flat bread starting to crisp.

Sprinkle over a little Maldon salt, some cracked black pepper and the fresh basil leaves then if you like finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and if you want to take it up another notch some really good quality balsamic vinegar. So easy but so good!

Black Olive Tapenade

I have recently developed some what of an obsession to olives. I love them and can't get enough of them, so when I saw a giant jar of pitted Kalamata olives in a local shop I couldn't resist buying them. Having a jar of olives in your fridge is a great thing as you can put them on so many things....I love throwing a small handful onto pasta for a little variation (see my Sausage, Olive & Tomato Pasta), or of course on top of a crispy and slightly charred pizza that I have cooked on the barbecue. They are perfect in Salads and if you always have olives in your fridge then you can always make up a quick batch of my favourite Marinated Olives – ideal to serve with drinks for any unexpected guests, and perfect as part of an Antipasto lunch. And then when you really want a hit of salty, briny olive goodness there is Tapenade. Originating from France this beautiful glossy black spread made from olives, capers and anchovies is fabulous on crostini or crackers as a quick and simple lunch or snack. And it doesn't stop there! Once you make it you will find so many options for using it....on pizza instead of tomato sauce, tossed through hot pasta for a quick and easy meal, used to stuff chicken with for a delicious and perfect meal for entertaining or thinned down with a little extra olive oil for a fabulously tasty salad dressing. The options are endless so if you are an olive fan why not give this deliciously easy and fast recipe a go. And to think I didn't like olives up until a couple of years ago and now I can't get enough of them!

Antipasto

There are 2 reasons why I love Antipasto...The first is I love food I can pick at over a long period of time (or at least I try to make it last a long period of time!), helping myself to little bits of this and that individually, or putting a few things together. The second reason is that Antipasto can be as simple or complicated as you like! Now when I say complicated I don't really mean that, more so just that you can spend a bit more time preparing it, or you can just buy things from a local deli and put it all together on a plate. It is ideal picnic and lunch food, perfect for a casual Italian starter or a light main course enjoyed outside in the garden with a cold glass of sparkling Prosecco! When it comes down to it, Italian food has to be my all time favourite as there are just so many flavours that I love and so antipasto is a perfect course for me.

Below is a list of some of my favourite Antipasti dishes (this list is likely to grow over time!). For a special treat try making it yourself but if you are in a hurry nip down to your local Italian deli and let them do all of the work for you!