-MICHAEL'S TOMATO ANDMOZARELLA SALAD

As made by Michael, this is one of the most picturesque salads I have ever seen. He puts the white cheese in the centre of the plate and surrounds it with a dark green circle of beans and basil; next comes a circle of orange-red tomatoes strewn with reddish-purple onion and black olives, and round the outside is a final circle of bright green pepper.

The salad is relatively expensive, but will be cheaper if you use green haricot rather than French or Kenya beans; this applies especially in the autumn, when British-grown haricots are in season.

Choose smooth, glossy peppers and firm beans: if the peppers are wrinkled or the beans floppy, they are old. For 4.

- INGREDIENTS - .

I Ib/500 9 haricot, Kenya, or other stringless green beans

1'/4-1 '/2 Ib1625-750 9 ffrm tomatoes

2 green peppers

2 onions (preferably red)

10-12 basil leaves

12 oz/375 9 mozarella cheese

4 oz/I25 9 black olives

French Dressing (see page III )

- METHOD -

I Wash and top and tail the beans and cut into shortish lengths. Just cover with slightly salted water, bring to the boil and boil for 5-6 minutes or until just tender but still firm. Drain and leave to cool.

2 Wash and dry the tomatoes and peppers. Slice the tomatoes into rings, discarding the stalk ends. Halve the peppers, remove the white inner membrane, cores and all the seeds and slice the flesh fairly thinly. Peel and coarsely chop the onions. Wash the basil leaves and blot dry with kitchen paper.

3 Drain the mozarella (which is packed in whey to keep it moist) and slice thickly. Place the slices in the centre of 4 serving-plates. Arrange the beans in a ring round the cheese. Setthe slices oftomato in a ring round the beans and the strips of pepper outside the tomatoes. Strew the tomatoes with the pieces of onion and dot with olives. Cut the basil into narrow strips and scatter over the beans. Just before serving, beat the dressing with a fork and pour some over each portion.