HOW TO SLICE TOMATOES RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Arrange the tomatoes and peppers on a baking tray in a single layer. Drizzle with half the oil, season with salt and roast for 25 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Lightly brush the halloumi slices with the remaining oil and griddle for 6 mins. Flip and cook for 3 mins more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly dusted surface to roughly 32 x 22cm, and about 1cm thick. Transfer to a large baking tray lined with baking parchment and score a 2cm border around the edges. Combine the soft cheese, 2 tsp milk and the garlic, and spread inside the border.
• Turn the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 4. Tip away any liquid from the tray of tomatoes and peppers, then arrange the roasted veg over the soft cheese mix. Lay the halloumi on top. Combine the egg yolk and remaining milk, then brush this over the border. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is golden and risen. Scatter over the basil and serve immediately.

Steps:

• 1. I think it’s quite nice to have different shapes and sizes in a salad, so cut your medium tomato into wedges, halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the beef tomato into large rounds. Put all the tomatoes into a large salad bowl. Slice the onion very finely so it’s wafer thin and add to the tomatoes. Scratch a fork down the sides of the cucumber so it leaves deep grooves in the skin, then cut it into thick slices. Deseed your pepper, slice it into rings and add them to the salad along with the cucumber.
  2. Roughly chop the dill and most of the mint leaves, reserving the smaller ones for garnish. Add the chopped herbs to the bowl of salad, then squeeze your handful of olives over so they season the vegetables, then drop them in.
  3. Add a pinch of sea salt, the vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil. Quickly toss everything together with your hands. The minute all those flavours start working with the veg is when the magic starts to happen. Have a taste, and adjust the flavours if need be.
  4. To serve, pop the block of feta right on the top of the salad. Sprinkle the oregano over the top along with the reserved mint leaves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and take it straight to the table. It’s confident and scruffy with a bit of attitude. Delicious.
  5. PS I’ve been known to pop leftover Greek salad into a liquidizer with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a few ice cubes, then blitz it up to a smooth consistency so it's basically a Greek gazpacho. It’s not a classic thing to do, but it is very delicious, not to mention a great way of using up leftovers!