A Salad of Cherry Tomatoes and Olives . . .

One of the things that is both a pleasure and sometimes a pain in the month of August, is the inevitable glut of things in the garden. It seems that everything seems to ripen all at once and you spend days and hours searching for new and interesting ways to prepare them . . .

I mean . . . you can only make so many courgette loaves, before you are tired of them . . .



and only so many tomato tarts . . .



and just so many casseroles . . . Right now we are experiencing a tasty glut of lovely cherry tomatoes. I love tomatoes . . .



Especially cherry tomatoes . . . all that tasty ripe tomato goodness, concentrated into one tiny and delicious mouthful . . .

I could eat them like grapes . . .



and, I confess, I often do. I will have a huge bowl of them sitting on the counter, and within a few hours, I have whittled them away into half a bowl . . . ending up with nothing to show for it, but a smile on my face.

Ahh . . . summer . . . I hope it never ends, even though I know it must.



*A Salad of Cherry Tomatoes and Olives*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Sweet and tart with the flavours of delicious cherry tomatoes, black and green olives, herbs and delicious Balsamic vinegar . . . spring onions. Eat this with some crusty white bread on the side to mop up all those tasty juices.

40 or so cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup oil cured green olives, halved
1 cup oil cured black olives, halved
2 spring onions, chopped, green and white parts
3 ounces pine nuts, toasted
1 TBS good quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably greek
1 TBS dried oregano
1 TBS white sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the tomatoes, olives and onions into a large bowl and mix together lightly with your hands. Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, sugar and oregano. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Pour over the tomato mixture, adding the toasted pinenuts. Toss together lightly, till all are coated with the dressing. Chill for at least an hour before serving to allow the juices to form and the flavours to meld.