Warm Amatriciana Kumato Salad

This salad is based on one of my favourite Italian regional dishes the Amatriciana - a traditional Roman dish that I like to make with Kumato®, speck and cheese. Kumato® tomatoes are best stored at room temperature and can be eaten and enjoyed at all colour stages. The slight acidity and firm texture of Kumato® tomatoes is perfect for this salad.
Serves: 4

Ingredients
100g sourdough
¼ cup light olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
100g your favourite cured meat (pancetta, prosciutto, salami, speck), diced
300g Kumato® tomatoes, diced
1 cup young basil leaves
100g parmesan cheese
50g white anchovy fillets
1 tbs fresh oregano leaves, picked
1 chilli, deseeded and julienned
Juice of 1 lemon

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Tear up the sourdough into thumb-sized pieces and place it on the baking tray, drizzle with half the olive oil and season with the oregano and salt flakes. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Place the cured meat of your choice in a cold pan and bring up the heat to medium. This will render some of the fat out of the meat and will act as the cooking oil. Cook for a few minutes on each side until the edges crisp up, then set aside.
In a large bowl, gently toss together the crispy meat, Kumato® tomatoes, basil leaves, anchovy fillets, sourdough, oregano and chilli and drizzle the salad with the olive oil and lemon juice. Finish with grated parmesan cheese.
Season with salt and pepper.

Ben Milbourne's Kumato® Masterclass

Kumato® tomatoes are a foodie favourite with their bold flavour and striking dark colour elevating summer dishes.

Originating in Europe, this glasshouse grown tomato is a natural mix of wild and traditional tomato varieties.

To keep up with their popularity and the demand from loyal foodie fans, Kumato® tomatoes are now grown 12 months of the year and peak in November, providing an abundance of Kumato® tomatoes just in time for festive celebrations.

Celebrity chef Ben Milbourne said this deliciously distinct tomato could be eaten at any stage of ripeness.

"Within three to five days, a Kumato® ripens from flavourful and bright green, to sweet and deep brown/red when fully ripe," said the former MasterChef contestant, cook book author and host of Food Lab.

"Each stage of ripeness brings with it unique textures and tastes – all of which can be enjoyed and provide fantastic opportunities to experiment with delicious flavour pairings."

Ben Milbourne shares his masterclass tips on Kumato® tomatoes:

Simplicity - The Kumato® has such a fantastic flavour on its own that it's best to keep any dressing simple and not too overpowering. My favourite is to dress Kumato® tomatoes with regular light olive oil and a little sprinkle of sea salt. A bolder extra virgin olive oil is not necessary.
Balance - The great thing about the Kumato® is that it has a slight acidity as well as sweetness, which means cooking with them is about balancing flavours. For a perfectly balanced dish, its best to pair Kumato® with ingredients that have umami tastes like haloumi cheese or a nice salty feta.
Texture – When Kumato® tomatoes are in their earlier stages of ripeness, (brown on the bottom and green on top) they are full of flavour and have a wonderful firm texture that holds together well. It makes them ideal for cutting and salads.
Sweetness – A ripe Kumato® (deep brown turning to a dark red) is perfect for cooking. This is also when they are at their sweetest and are delicious for roasting or cooking down into a decadent, rich pasta sauce.
Flavour – To retain its deliciously sweet flavour, it's always best to store Kumato® tomatoes at room temperature on the kitchen bench. Refrigerating a Kumato® will affect the natural sugars and it won't be as sweet.

Kumato® tomatoes are exclusive to Perfection Fresh and are grown in glasshouses in South Australia and Victoria. They are available as full-sized tomatoes and grape varieties. Kumato® tomatoes are sold at supermarkets and greengrocers nationally.

Recipe Credit: Created by Ben Milbourne for Perfection Fresh