Ingredients

1 cup thick Greek-style yoghurt
1 tablespoon runny honey
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar pinch of chilli flakes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 mixed coloured tomatoes
1 large wedge of watermelon
½ cup herbs such as basil and mint, roughly torn
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

This is a great dish to make right now, when tomatoes and watermelon are at their finest, with the smoked yoghurt offsetting their natural sweetness. I often find this makes more than I need for the recipe but seldom have a problem using it up over the next few days. You’ll need to pay a bit of attention here – the heat must be quite low to ensure the yoghurt doesn’t curdle. I sometimes chill the bowl the yoghurt is going in, which also helps keep it cool.

The subtle smoky flavour of this yoghurt offsets the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and watermelon, making for a very refreshing late-summer salad.

Instructions

1.Heat a barbecue with the charcoal on either side so the heat is indirect.
2.When the embers are low, put the yoghurt in a wide stainless steel bowl and nestle that bowl in a larger stainless steel bowl of ice.
3.Place the bowls in the centre of the barbecue, add presoaked woodchips, cover and smoke gently for 10 minutes.
4.Taste and check if it’s smoky enough. If not, smoke for another 5 minutes.
5.Remove the bowls and chill the yoghurt for at least an hour before using.
6.Mix the smoked yoghurt with the honey and season with salt. If necessary, add a little water to bring it to a drizzling consistency.
7.Make a dressing with the vinegar, chilli flakes and oil (if your tomatoes or watermelon aren’t very sweet, you may like to add 1 tablespoon runny honey to the dressing).
8.Slice the tomatoes and watermelon and layer them on a serving platter, drizzling with the dressing and scattering with the herbs as you go.
9.When ready to serve, drizzle with the yoghurt and scatter with the pine nuts.

Recipe and Food Styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Fiona Lacelles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.