Three tomato salad with sunflower seed puree and whipped feta

Name: Three tomato salad with sunflower seed puree and whipped feta
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6-8 as a side dish
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1 cup sunflower seeds; 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock; 1 cup milk; squeeze of lemon juice; 1 tbsp olive oil

Katrina Meynink

December 5, 2018

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6-8 as a side dish

A tomato party that celebrates tomato season.

Ingredients

Sunflower seed puree

1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup milk
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil

Salad

500g medley tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to season
½ cup semi-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
500g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup basil leaves, coarsely torn

Whipped feta

½ cup soft Persian-style feta
1 tbsp milk
½ tbsp olive oil

Method

Step 1
Place the sunflower seeds, stock and milk in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Simmer for 25 minutes or until the sunflower seeds are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated (Note: If the seeds are soft and you still have liquid, strain first before blending).
Step 2
Add the seed mixture, lemon juice and olive oil to a blender and blitz to a smooth paste – if too thick, loosen with a tablespoon of water and blitz again. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 180C.
Step 4
Place the medley tomatoes on a roasting tray with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to burst.
Step 5
While the tomatoes are roasting, add the whipped feta ingredients to a blender and pulse until creamy and smooth.
Step 6
Place blobs of sunflower seed puree and the whipped feta on a serving plate – it doesn't have to be neat, just make pockets of flavour over the base of the plate. Top with the fresh, roasted and sun-dried tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, scatter with basil leaves and serve immediately.