Name: Mozzarella, sherry-vinegar Medjool dates, popped cherry tomatoes and dukkah
Yield: For 4 as a main course or 6 as a starter
Ingredients: 2 handfuls salad leaves (I used watercress, baby kale and rocket/arugula); 8 Medjool dates, quartered lengthways and pits removed; 4 tbsp sherry vinegar; 3 tbsp picked soft herbs (basil, chervil, marjoram, fennel fronds); 4 tbsp dukkah; 500 g (1 lb. 2 oz.) cherry tomatoes; 2 tsp finely chopped or grated ginger; 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 300 g (10½ oz.) mozzarella, at room temperature; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings

Preparation info

For
4
as a main course as a starter

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Savour

By Peter Gordon

Published 2016

About

Marinating rich, filling Medjool dates in something sour like the sherry vinegar here, or even orange juice mixed with lime juice, softens their impact in a salad but also enhances it. Paired with the mozzarella (I used gorgeous fresh buffalo mozzarella) it’s a dream combo. Dukkah (also spelt duqqa) is an Egyptian hazelnut-based condiment that New Zealanders have been using for more than a decade as a dip for bread doused in olive oil. It’s worth making the quantity and storing it in an air