Ingredients
8 ounces/225 grams datterini or cherry tomatoes
7 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white miso
3 fresh bay leaves
9 cardamom pods, shells reserved and seeds roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika or Kashmiri chile powder
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/4 pounds/565 grams large Persian cucumbers
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fine sea salt and black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems
1 small ball buffalo mozzarella (about 4 1/2 ounces/125 grams), roughly torn
Directions
1
Start with the dressing: Add the tomatoes, oil, garlic, miso, bay leaves, cardamom shells and seeds, paprika and a heaping ¼ teaspoon salt to a large (lidded) sauté pan. Place over medium-high heat, give everything a good stir and leave it, uncovered, until it starts to bubble gently.
2
Once bubbling, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with the lid and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring once, until the tomatoes have burst and start to release their juices. Turn down the heat if necessary; you want the garlic to soften without taking on color, and you want the tomatoes to not completely disintegrate. Stir in the lime juice and set aside.
3
Heat a grill pan over high, and ventilate your kitchen well.
4
Halve the cucumbers lengthwise then use a small spoon to scrape out and discard the seeds. Slice each halved cucumber lengthwise into 2 equal pieces, then transfer the cucumber quarters to a bowl and toss with the oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. When the grill pan is very hot, grill them in batches, cut sides down, for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip them over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes more. You want nice grill marks and for the cucumbers to soften but still retain a bite. (You don’t want any floppy cucumbers.) As they’re ready, immediately transfer to the tomato pan, stirring to coat in the dressing.
5
Once they’re all grilled, stir the cilantro into the pan and transfer the mixture to a large serving platter with a lip. Sprinkle on the torn mozzarella, along with a good pinch of salt, and tuck the cheese under the cucumbers in places. You can serve this dish hot or at room temperature.