Name: Tomato and Pomegranate Salad
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups/200 g red cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice; 1 1/3 cups/200 g yellow cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice; 1 1/3 cups/200 g tiger or plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice; 18 ounce/500 g medium slicing tomatoes (about 5), cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice; 1 red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice (1 cup/120 g); 1 small red onion, finely diced (rounded 3/4 cup/120 g); 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice; 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar; 1 1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses; 1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil, plus extra to finish; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 large pomegranate, seeds removed (1 cup/170 g seeds); 1 tablespoon small oregano leaves

Image may contain Plant Food Produce and Vegetable

Tomato and Pomegranate SaladJonathan Lovekin

I rarely rave about my own recipes, but this is one I can just go on and on about. It is the definition of freshness with its sweet-and-sour late-summer flavors, and it is also an utter delight to look at. But the most incredible thing about it is that it uses a few ingredients that I have been lovingly cooking with for many years, and believed I knew everything there was to know about, yet had never thought of mixing them in such a way. That is, until I traveled to Istanbul and came across a similar combination of fresh tomatoes and pomegranate seeds in a famous local kebab restaurant called Hamdi, right by the Spice Bazaar. It was a proper light-bulb moment when I realized how the two types of sweetness-the sharp, almost bitter sweetness of pomegranate and the savory, sunny sweetness of tomato-can complement each other so gloriously.

I use four types of tomato here to make the salad more interesting visually and in flavor. You can easily use fewer, just as long as they are ripe and sweet.

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups/200 g red cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

1 1/3 cups/200 g yellow cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

1 1/3 cups/200 g tiger or plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

18 ounce/500 g medium slicing tomatoes (about 5), cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice

1 red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch/5-mm dice (1 cup/120 g)

1 small red onion, finely diced (rounded 3/4 cup/120 g)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil, plus extra to finish

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large pomegranate, seeds removed (1 cup/170 g seeds)

1 tablespoon small oregano leaves

Preparation

Step 1
Mix together all the tomatoes, the red pepper, and the onion in a large bowl and set aside.
Step 2
In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, allspice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and a scant 1/2 teaspoon salt until well combined. Pour this over the tomato mixture and gently mix.
Step 3
Arrange the tomato mixture and its juices on a large, flat plate. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and oregano over the top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.