Middle Eastern Diced Salad
A favourite finely diced salad, which needs to be served with a spoon!
It can be served with kebabs and crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Alternatively, it can be served as part of a mixed meze or as a dip with toasted sliced pitta bread.
- 2 large tomatoes - seeded
- 1 red pepper
- 1 jalapeno chilli
- 8cm cucumber - peeled
- 1 small onion or a shallot – peeled
- 2 tbs each of finely chopped french parsley and spearmint
For the dressing:
- 1 tsp harissa or any hot pepper paste
- 1 tbs pomegranate molasses – available from ethnic grocers and delis
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- ground black pepper
Dice all the salad vegetables individually and leave on some kitchen paper to drain.
Then put them all together on a large chopping board.
Using a large heavy knife or a rocking herb chopper chop all the ingredients together until they are really finely diced.
Scrape all the chopped ingredients onto a shallow serving plate.
Mix together the dressing, reserving 1 tbs oil. Pour the dressing over the salad vegetables,
stir well and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
Just before serving drain off any excess liquid which may have collected and drizzle over the remaining oil.