They say variety is the spice of life. And, a variety of herbs and spices will definitely make your cooking repertoire more exciting and interesting. I have an (ever growing) cupboard full of spices/spice blends and a small, urban garden where I grow an assortment of herbs.
One of my favorite spices (actually, a berry) is sumac.
Sumac is incredibly aromatic, with a tangy, sour, acidic flavor reminiscent of lemon juice. This fragrant spice is popular in Middle Eastern cooking, used to brighten up dry rubs and spice blends like za’atar, a popular spice blend used to top everything from pita to lamb, or as a substitute for lemon juice or vinegar. Sumac has a more subdued flavor than lemon juice or vinegar. I love sprinkling sumac over a simple (or, sometimes, not so simple) garden salad.
Sumac is a small flowering tree native to Iran that grows wild in Western Asia, the Arabian peninsula and most of the Mediterranean. There are many species of sumac, though Rhus coriaria is the species that you’ll commonly find in spice shops. The name sumac means “red” in medieval French, Latin and Syrian languages. There is another variety of sumac that grows native in North America called staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina. Staghorn sumac was used by Native Americans to flavor tart beverages, “sumac-ade”, reminiscent of pink lemonade.
This time of year, I’m thinking about all things tomato. And, when you have really good tomatoes, it’s best to keep things simple.
When I came across this salad from Yotam Ottolenghi, the king of interesting salads, it immediately caught my eye. The star of this salad is the sumac-marinated shallots. They add an entirely new dimension to your ordinary tomato-basil salad. I made a few minor changes to his recipe — added an assortment of basil (Genovese, Thai and red — all from the garden) and topped the salad with chopped pistachios rather than pine nuts because pistachios are easier to come by. Oh, and I added extra sumac-marinated shallots because they’re really good.
This is ground sumac. I get it from Kalustyan’s when I’m in NYC.
A pretty shot of some lovely summer tomatoes…
TOMATO BASIL SALAD WITH SUMAC SHALLOTS
2 large shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
3 tbsp ground sumac
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper
2 pints (about 1 1/2 pounds) assorted cherry tomatoes, plus 1/2 pound heirloom tomatoes of your choosing
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Handful of basil leaves (used an assortment of Genovese, Thai and red basil)
Handful of chopped pistachios for garnish
Place the shallots in a small bowl with the sumac, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Mix together with your hands so the sumac gets massaged into the shallots, then leave for 30 minutes to soften.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Slice the heirloom tomatoes into wedges. Place the tomatoes in a bowl along with the olive oil, basil, 1/3 teaspoon of sea salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Toss gently with your hands to combine.
Arrange the tomatoes on a large platter and spread the shallots over the top. Lift some of the tomatoes and basil so they are visible above the shallots, sprinkle with the pistachios and and a few more basil leaves, and serve.
