Spanish Tomato & Cheese Salad

I love Spain. My Dad loved Spain, too, and I think some of my affection for the country came from him. But even without that connection, Spain would still have a pretty firm hold on my heart. And then there’s the food. Paella alone is enough to make me want to book a flight.

But one of the things I really fell in love with while I was in Spain was the cheese. Specifically, Manchego. Oh my goodness. Manchego in Spain is something special.

I still love Manchego here in the U.S., but it isn't quite the same. That's true of so many foods, really. Something you eat in its home country just seems to have a little extra magic that doesn't always make the trip across the ocean.

And since it's tomato season, pairing ripe, juicy, straight-from-the-vine tomatoes with Manchego seemed like a pretty obvious idea for a side dish.

Naturally, I then proceeded to completely screw up the recipe.

I didn't realize I was out of Sherry vinegar until I was already making it. Rather than admit defeat and put the whole thing on hold, I substituted fresh lemon juice because I knew I needed some acidity. Red wine vinegar didn't seem like the right choice at the time.

Turns out, I was wrong.

The lemon and Manchego just didn't work for me. The flavors weren't terrible, but they definitely weren't the combination I was hoping for. In hindsight, I think the red wine vinegar would have been a much better substitute.

I'm not giving up on this one, though. I have some beautiful heirloom tomatoes sitting around that need to be eaten, and I really like the idea of this combination. So tomorrow I'm making a trip to the store for Sherry vinegar and giving it another shot.

Spanish Tomato & Cheese Salad

Recipe from Spain On A Fork

Serves 4

• 4 tomatoes
• 1/2 lbs Manchego cheese (Aged 6 months) .23 kg
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 ml
• 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar 8 ml
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano 1 gram
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley 4 grams
• pinch sea salt
• dash black pepper

Wash & pat dry the tomatoes, then cut each one into rounds that are 1/4 inch thick

De-rind the cheese and cut into slices that are 1/8 inch thick

Add the slices of tomato and cheese into a serving dish, going in order of tomato and then cheese and in a circular design

Add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil into a bowl, along with 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar, finely grate 1 clove garlic, add 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, season with a kiss of sea salt & black pepper, whisk together until well mixed

Pour the dressing over the salad, serve at room temperature or add into the fridge and serve chilled, enjoy!