Roasted tomato and dumpling salad
Roasted tomato and dumpling salad
This winter version of my viral dumpling tomato salad which I developed for NYT Cooking calls for tomatoes roasted at high-ish temperatures, encouraging them to fall apart and surrender their hidden essence. A hint of sugar and salt encourages and enhances flavour. Once the tomatoes are feeling cozy, I add dumplings to the baking sheet and both are roasting together until the tomatoes collapse and the dumplings are crispy around the edges. Take them out of the oven and, like the original recipe, dress with more chili crisp. Voila, a winter tomato dumpling salad is yours.
I used year round greenhouse grown tomatoes grown in Maine, a ‘cocktail’ size that is bigger than a cherry but smaller than a plum/roma tomato. If you prefer, you could use 1 x 800g (28 ounce) can of whole tomatoes, draining off the liquid (reserve for other use).
Serves 4
/ for gluten free and/or vegan, use gf and vegan dumplings
Ingredients
- 900g (2 pounds) tomatoes, halved (I used cocktail tomatoes) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 to 4 tablespoons chili crisp
- sea salt and black pepper
- 450g (1 pound) frozen vegetarian dumplings
- 3 to 4 handfuls baby spinach or torn kale leaves
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 200˚C / 400˚F.
Place the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and then add the brown sugar or maple syrup, garlic and 2 tablespoons of chili crisp and season with salt and pepper. Toss until the tomatoes are well coated and then arrange them cut side up. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
When the tomatoes are almost ready, take the frozen dumplings out for freezer and place them into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and increase the temperature to 220˚C / 425˚F. Add the dumplings to the baking sheet, arranging them in and around the tomatoes, but making sure the dumplings are not touching one another. Return to the oven and roast until the dumplings are golden and the tomatoes are slightly shriveled and falling apart, 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove the tomatoes and dumplings from the oven and immediately add the kale or spinach leaves and toss well to combine, allowing the residual heat to soften the leaves. Transfer to serving bowls and top with more chili crisp and scallions. Serve warm or at room temperature.