Spiced Tomato Cooler With Herb Salad and Goat-Cheese Toasts

Name: Spiced Tomato Cooler With Herb Salad and Goat-Cheese Toasts
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1 clove garlic, peeled; 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin; 1 ¼ teaspoons sweet paprika; Large pinch of cayenne pepper; 19 ounces ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered; 1 teaspoon Maldon or other sea salt; Freshly ground black pepper; Juice of ½ lemon, plus 4 small lemon slivers for serving; Dash of Angostura bitters; Splash of Worcestershire sauce; 2 sprigs cilantro; 1 heaped tablespoon black pumpkin seeds or pepitas; ½ cup roughly sliced celery with leaves preferably inner stalks; 3 handfuls mixed watercress and arugula, roughly torn; 1 scallion, roughly chopped; ½ smallish cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; ½ cup packed roughly chopped cilantro, plus a few sprigs for the drink and garnish; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 teaspoons red-wine or sherry vinegar; 8 small slices country bread, toasted; 3 tablespoons soft, creamy goat cheese

Recipe from Tessa Kiros

Adapted by Amanda Hesser

Updated March 8, 2023

Tom Schierlitz for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brian Preston-Campbell.

Media 1 of 1

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: (0)
Comments: Read comments

—Amanda Hesser

Featured in: Moroccan Tomato Soup, 1991

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4

FOR THE TOMATO COOLER

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1 ¼ teaspoons sweet paprika
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
19 ounces ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 teaspoon Maldon or other sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon, plus 4 small lemon slivers for serving
Dash of Angostura bitters
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs cilantro

FOR THE SALAD

1 heaped tablespoon black pumpkin seeds or pepitas
½ cup roughly sliced celery with leaves preferably inner stalks
3 handfuls mixed watercress and arugula, roughly torn
1 scallion, roughly chopped
½ smallish cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
½ cup packed roughly chopped cilantro, plus a few sprigs for the drink and garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons red-wine or sherry vinegar

FOR THE TOASTS

8 small slices country bread, toasted
3 tablespoons soft, creamy goat cheese

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

FOR THE TOMATO COOLER
1. Step 1
  In a small sauté pan over medium heat, toast the pumpkin seeds or pepitas with a little salt to just heat through and color a bit. Set aside for the salad.
2. Step 2
  In the same pan, heat the oil with the garlic clove and the cumin, paprika and cayenne, stirring until it smells spicy. Take care not to burn. Set aside.
3. Step 3
  Pass the tomatoes through the medium plate of a food mill set over a nonreactive bowl. (If you don’t have a food mill, use a cheese grater.) Add ¼ cup cold water.
4. Step 4
  Scrape the spices and oil into the tomato purée, discarding the garlic. Stir in the salt, pepper, lemon juice, Angostura bitters, Worcestershire sauce and cilantro sprigs. Taste for seasoning, cover and refrigerate.
5. Step 5
  Assemble the salad: Put the sautéed pumpkin seeds, celery, watercress and arugula, scallion, cucumber and cilantro into a bowl. Dress with the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss lightly.
6. Step 6
  Divide the salad among 4 plates, with 2 toasts on each. Gently spoon a teaspoon or so of goat cheese onto each toast. Divide the tomato juice (discarding the cilantro stems) among 4 tumblers. Add a sliver of lemon, a couple of ice cubes, a grind of black pepper and a sprig of cilantro over each and serve.