Tomato, celery and avocado with toasted cumin vinaigrette

This is inspired by the Chilean-style tomato, celery and avocado salads my mother made when I was growing up. The punchy vinaigrette does wonders for lacklustre greenhouse tomatoes and the whole salad is a good addition to a late summer barbecue.

For the dressing

1 tsp	Whole cumin seeds
1 clove	Garlic, peeled and crushed with a pinch of salt
1 tsp	Honey, (or brown sugar)
2 Tbsp	Freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ½ Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil

For the salad

3 sticks	Celery, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm pieces (Main)
6	Vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into rough chunks (Main)
1	Large avocado, peeled and cut into chunks (Main)
3 Tbsp	Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan set over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until they are fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for a minute or two, then crush in a mortar and pestle or with the blade of a heavy knife.
2. Mix together the garlic, honey, crushed cumin seeds and lemon juice. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Tumble the celery, tomatoes, avocado and parsley into a bowl. Pour over half the dressing and toss gently, then transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle over the remaining dressing. Let sit for 10 minutes to absorb the flavours if possible, then serve.