Recipe: Summer Noodle Salad with Ginger Garlic Dressing
photo credit: Michael Piazza
V, DF
Every year, during the hottest days of summer, our friends at Allandale Farm in Boston throw a party called Tomato Fest. Complete with hayrides, a cooking competition, and more urban farm fun, we always leave with pallets of juicy, sweet, height-of-summer tomatoes. After popping a few pints’ worth straight into our mouths, we make dishes like this summer noodle salad, which combines the caramelized sweetness of roasted tomatoes with the fresh burst of ripe raw tomatoes. The pungent gingery garlicky dressing, brightened with both black vinegar and lime juice, riffs on a vinaigrette used in Chinese cuisine for cold dishes ranging from cucumber to chilled jellyfish. Drizzled here on prime summer produce, it’s a fresh take on pasta salad that’s perfect for your next picnic. If you are using out-of-season tomatoes, roast all of them.
Serves 4, with other dishes
Dressing
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely minced or grated on a Microplane
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated on a Microplane
2 tablespoons (30 g) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (26 g) extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons (22 g) fresh lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon (20 g) honey
1 tablespoon (13 g) toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon (5 g) black vinegar
Kosher salt
Salad
1 pound (450 g) small summer tomatoes, cut in half or quartered if large
1 cup (150 g) corn kernels
1 tablespoon (13 g) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (13 g) toasted sesame oil
Kosher salt
8 ounces (225 g) soba noodles
1 zucchini, spiralized or thinly sliced
1 cup (25 g) arugula or other salad greens
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon (8 g) black or white sesame seeds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
Make the Dressing
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, whisk, and let sit so the ginger and garlic have time to mellow while you make the salad.
Make the Salad
Put half the tomatoes, corn, olive oil, and sesame oil into a baking dish or baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly charred. Set aside to cool.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the soba according to the package instructions, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to stop the cooking.
Put the soba into a large serving bowl with the roasted tomatoes and corn and add the fresh tomatoes, zucchini, arugula, avocado, and scallion.
Pour most of the dressing over the salad and toss, then taste and add more dressing as desired. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.