Roasted Tomato, Fig and Dragonfruit Salad

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 16 small tomatoes, halved
  • sea salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeded and finely sliced
  • 1 bunch watercress, picked
  • 1 dragonfruit, peeled and iced
  • 4 figs, quartered
  • ½ bunch dill sprigs
  • ¼ cup red mustard sprouts
  • 1 bunch chives
  • 1 bunch parsley leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • finely-grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • ½ cup aioli
  • 1 tsp green Tabasco

Instructions

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1½ hours
Serves: 4-6

1 Preheat oven to 120°C. Toss the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then drizzle with half the olive oil. Arrange on a lined tray and bake for 1 ½ hours, until the tomatoes are wrinkled and shrunk. Allow to cool.
2 Combine the cucumbers, watercress, dragonfruit, fig, dill and mustard sprouts in a large bowl, add the tomatoes and mix again.
3 Put the chives, parsley, garlic, zest, juice, aioli and tabasco in a blender and purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle over the salad.
COOK’S NOTES: Red mustard sprouts are widely available as small punnets in god grocers. They have a peppery and sharp flavour.