Enjoy the great flavours of this salad that combines fresh basil with oven dried tomatoes.

The recipe

Ingredients
•120g mozzarella (approx 1 ball of mozzarella)
•Fresh basil leaves
•Micro cress leaves
•Oven dried tomatoes
•Fresh tomato vinaigrette
•Basil oil

Oven dried tomatoes
•250g tomatoes, halved (preferably datterino or cherry)
•1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
•Fresh thyme, picked
•50ml olive oil
•Pinch of sea salt 
•2-3 turns freshly milled black pepper
•10g icing sugar

Fresh tomato vinaigrette
•2 ‘bottled’ sun-dried tomatoes (4 halves), roughly chopped
•10 fresh ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
•1 tsp smooth Dijon mustard
•½ tbsp red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) vinegar
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1/4 tsp sugar
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1 tbsp sesame oil

Basil oil
•40g basil leaves
•100ml olive oil

Method
1 Cut the tomatoes in half then place in a bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

2 Preheat the oven to 85ºC, the very lowest gas.

3 Place the tomato halves on the baking tray in rows then bake in the very low oven for about 45 minutes.

4 Blitz the sun-dried and fresh tomatoes in a food processor until a smooth puree.

5 In a second bowl, dissolve the mustard into the vinegar with a pinch of salt and the sugar. Season with black pepper then whisk in the olive oil in a gradual trickle. Then whisk the vinaigrette into the tomatoes.

6 Boil together 1 litre of water and salt, add the basil leaves and blanch for 25 seconds. Place the blanched leaves in a blender with the olive oil and blitz until smooth before passing through a fine chinois.

7 To finish the dish, arrange the tomatoes, and buffalo mozzarella cheese, drizzle with tomato vinaigrette and basil oil. Finish with fresh basil and micro cress leaves.

Rhodes Twenty10 is one of 22 restaurants exhibiting at Taste of Dubai 2011.
Buy your tickets for Taste of Dubai with Time Out Tickets.