Tomato and cucumber salad with walnuts

Equipment

• Knife
• board
• small processor or mortar
• mixing bowl.

Before you begin

US cup = 240 ml; tablespoon = 15 ml; teaspoon = 5 ml. Use listed gram weights for consistency; weights are raw or dry unless described as cooked or drained.

• For a nut-free variation, omit the walnut dressing and use 15 ml / 1 tbsp oil with 15 ml / 1 tbsp wine vinegar. This produces a different, simpler salad rather than a substitute walnut sauce.

Make it work

• For a nut-free variation, omit the walnut dressing and use 15 ml / 1 tbsp oil with 15 ml / 1 tbsp wine vinegar. This produces a different, simpler salad rather than a substitute walnut sauce.

Ingredients

• 500 g / 17.6 oz Ripe tomatoes
• 300 g / 10.6 oz Cucumbers
• 60 g / 2.1 oz Red onion, thinly sliced
• 60 g / 2.1 oz Walnuts, shelled
• 1 small clove (about 2 g / 0.07 oz) Garlic
• 20 ml / 0.7 US fl oz White wine vinegar
• 30 ml, plus more as needed / 1.0 US fl oz Cold water
• 15 g / 0.5 oz Fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 10 g / 0.3 oz Fresh purple or green basil
• 1/4 tsp / about 0.5 g Ground coriander seed
• 1/8 tsp / about 0.125 g Food-grade ground marigold, optional
• 1/2 tsp, then adjust / about 3 g Fine salt
• 1/8 tsp / about 0.125 g Chili flakes, optional

Step-by-step method

1. Prepare the vegetables
   Wash and dry the produce. Core the tomatoes and cut into bite-size wedges. Slice cucumbers into 1 cm / 3/8 in half-moons. Peel only if the skin is tough. If a cucumber has large watery seeds, scrape those out before slicing.
2. Soften the onion bite
   Place onion slices in cold water for 5 minutes if sharply flavored, then drain and dry thoroughly. This is optional. Avoid soaking tomatoes or cucumbers: water clinging to the produce will dilute the walnut dressing.
3. Make a fine walnut base
   Grind walnuts, garlic, coriander seed, optional marigold, salt and chili in a small processor or mortar. Aim for a fine, slightly grainy paste rather than an oily nut butter. Scrape the sides before adding the liquid.
4. Loosen the dressing
   Stir in vinegar and the measured water. It should fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon. Add extra water by the teaspoon if needed. Taste for acidity and salt; the dressing should be a little assertive because the vegetables will soften its flavor.
5. Dress at the last moment
   Tear the basil and chop the fresh coriander. Combine vegetables, onion and herbs in a broad bowl. Spoon over the dressing and fold gently a few times, preserving the tomato wedges. Do not leave a salted salad sitting for an hour before serving.
6. Bring to the table
   Serve immediately in a shallow bowl so the dressing is distributed through the vegetables. If preparing ahead, keep the dry cut vegetables and dressing in separate covered containers in the refrigerator, then combine shortly before eating.

Cook’s notes

For a nut-free variation, omit the walnut dressing and use 15 ml / 1 tbsp oil with 15 ml / 1 tbsp wine vinegar. This produces a different, simpler salad rather than a substitute walnut sauce.

Storage & reheating

• Best freshly dressed. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 1 day. Keep undressed vegetables and dressing separately for up to 1 day.

Allergens

Contains walnuts (tree nuts).

Approximate nutrition

Per serving: 142 kcal · Protein 4 g · Carbohydrates 12 g · Fat 10 g.

Approximate per serving of the complete recipe. Brands, substitutions, cooking losses and portion sizes affect the figures.