Chiudi

RGFE

Warm buckwheat, tomato and vegetable salad

Cook & Prep Time

50 min

Serves

4

Warm buckwheat, tomato and vegetable salad

This delicious salad would make a perfect vegetarian brunch dish, starter or light lunch .

Ingredients

  • 300g ricotta
  • 200g buckwheat
  • 100g broccoli florets
  • 420g canned organic whole peeled tomatoes
  • 6 courgette flowers
  • 3 aubergines
  • 2 courgettes
  • 1 lemon (peel only)
  • 10 basil leaves
  • 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • salt

Directions

Step 1

First prepare the aubergines. Wash the aubergines and make small incisions in the aubergine skin and then bake whole in the oven at 190°C for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, peel the aubergines, cut the flesh into cubes and puree them in a food processor. Add a little extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and put to one side.

Step 2

Once you have put the aubergine to bake, prepare the tomatoes. Drain the canned organic whole peeled tomatoes and keep the juice to one side. Cut the tomatoes lengthwise, remove the seeds and put them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Season the tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, and bake them in the same oven as the aubergines at 190°C for about 30 minutes. Both should be ready at about the same time.

Step 3

Put the tomato juice from the can into a deep saucepan, add about 300 ml of water and bring to a boil.

Step 4

Rinse the buckwheat under running water and then toast in a frying pan over medium heat until golden brown for about 3-4 minutes. When the buckwheat is evenly toasted, add to the boiling tomato water and cook for about 15 minutes at a gentle simmer, adding salt to taste. Then drain the buckwheat and let it cool.

Step 5

In the meantime cut the courgette into thin strips, blanch them in plenty of boiling salted water for about 1 minute, drain them and put to one side.

Step 6

Blanch the broccoli florets in plenty of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain them, and put them to one side.

Step 7

Open each courgette flower and delicately clean the inside. Place the flowers on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven preheated to about 80°C just for a few minutes to let them dry out a little.

Step 8

Sieve the fresh ricotta, add a pinch of salt and put to one side.

Step 9

Spread the aubergine puree on each plate, arrange the buckwheat and put the oven-baked tomatoes in the centre. With a piping bag, fill the tomatoes with the ricotta cream, arrange the other vegetables, and decorate with basil leaves.