Spiced Tomato & Spelt Salad with Sumac-Pickled Onions

Method

1. First, quick-pickle your thinly sliced onion. Tumble it into a bowl and scrunch through the salt and sumac, then pour over the vinegar and 2 tbsp boiling water. Muddle the lot together with a fork so that everything is combined, pushing the onions under the liquid as much as possible, then cover the bowl with a small plate and set to one side. If you can do this ahead of time, even better.
2. Now cook your spelt: add the dried grains to a saucepan and cover generously with hot water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover for about 30-40 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure the water hasn’t boiled away.
3. When the grains are tender and fluffy, drain them. Beat together the juice of the lemon with the olive oil, then mix about two thirds of this through the still-warm grains (the rest will go over the tomatoes).
4. Slice the tomatoes (I like uneven shapes and sizes for variety). In a small frying pan, dry-toast the spices and seeds (shaking often and watching carefully) until popping and very fragrant, but not burnt. Pour these over the sliced tomatoes — they will sizzle pleasingly. Add the remaining lemon and olive dressing, a big handful of the pickled onions, and several spoonfuls of the pickling liquid. Toss together. Divide the chopped mixed herbs between the grains and the tomatoes, stirring through both, to ensure good distribution of the herbs.
5. Now assemble the final dish: spread the dressed herby grains over a wide serving platter, and pile the tomato mix on top.