Tomato Salad, Bloody Mary Vinaigrette, Nut Quinoa

Ingredients

• 80 g red or light quinoa
• 80 g hazelnut flakes
• nut oil (hazelnut or walnut)
• Salt
• 5–6 favorite tomatoes
• Salt
• 1 pinch sugar
• 2–3 celery stalks (with green tops)
• 1 beef tomato
• 0.5 tsp tomato paste
• 1–2 tsp herb vinegar
• 1–3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• piment d’Espelette (to taste)
• a few leaves of purple or regular basil
• 4–6 slices air‑dried ham

Instructions

1. 1.

   Set the quinoa in 400 ml hot water, bring to a boil and simmer covered over low heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the hazelnut flakes in a pan with a few drops of nut oil and salt. Let the quinoa steam on a plate, then mix in half the hazelnuts, season with salt and 1–3 tsp nut oil.

2. 2.

   Slice your favorite tomatoes and season them with salt and sugar on a plate. Set aside celery greens, finely chop or shave the celery stalks, and season with salt. Let the vegetables rest. For the Bloody Mary vinaigrette, roughly chop the beef tomato and puree it with tomato paste in a blender. Strain the juice through a sieve and whisk together vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and piment d’Espelette.

3. 3.

   Spread some vinaigrette on the bottom of a platter, arrange celery and tomato slices on top. Sprinkle nut quinoa and remaining hazelnut flakes over the salad. Finely chop celery greens and scatter them with basil leaves over the dish. Drizzle the rest of the vinaigrette over the salad. Cut ham into long strips and loosely distribute across the plate.