Tomato salad with marinated feta cheese

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 chili peppers, red
• ½ stalk lemongrass
• ½ liter olive oil, mild
• ¼ vanilla pod(s), scraped
• 4 slices of ginger
• 1 strip of orange peel
• 1 strip of lemon peel
• 2 bay leaves
• 400 g sheep’s cheese
• 1 onion(s), red
• 8 tomatoes
• salt and pepper
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 2 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 minutes; Total time approx. 2 days 35 minutes

One to two days in advance, wash the rosemary for the marinated feta cheese and shake dry. Peel and slice the garlic. Halve the chili peppers lengthwise, deseed, and wash them. In a pan, heat 100 ml of olive oil with the rosemary sprigs, garlic slices, chili, lemongrass, vanilla pod, ginger, lemon and orange zest, and bay leaves over low heat. Mix everything with the remaining cold olive oil. Cut the feta cheese into 1 cm cubes and place loosely in a large preserving jar. Pour in the olive oil and spices, ensuring the cheese is well coated. Loosely mix the spices with the cheese. Close the jar tightly and marinate the cheese cubes in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. For the salad, peel and finely dice the onion. Wash and slice the tomatoes, removing the stem ends. Place the tomato slices slightly overlapping on large, flat plates, sprinkle with the diced onions, and season with salt and pepper. Drain the cheese cubes in a sieve, reserving the spiced oil. Remove the spices from the cheese and scatter the feta cheese cubes over the tomatoes. Combine 8 tablespoons of the spiced oil and balsamic vinegar in a tall mixing bowl and blend with an immersion blender. Drizzle the marinade over the tomato salad and serve.