Roast Tomato and Asparagus Salad

This salad evokes fond memories for me.  It was made for me many years ago by a dear friend who is a great cook and we sat devouring it at the world-famous Kew Gardens on picnic blankets in the glorious sunshine.

1. Put the mozzarella into a small bowl and add 2 1/2 Tablespoons of the Olive Oil, the chilli flakes, a pinch of salt, lemon juice and some freshly ground black pepper.  Give everything a stir and leave it to marinade for at least 30 minutes (it can marinade for a couple of days if you want to prepare it in advance).
   
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C Fan or 160°C. Line a baking tray with foil.  Halve the tomatoes and place, cut side up, on one end of the tray (you will use the other end to cook the asparagus after the first hour of cooking).  Drizzle about 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil and the balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes and sprinkle over the brown sugar. Cook for 60 minutes.
   
3. When the tomatoes have been cooking for 60 minutes remove them from the oven, remove the ends from the asparagus, arrange them in one layer on the other end of the tray and drizzle over 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil and a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Return the tray to the oven and cook for a further 25 minutes.
   
4. Chop the asparagus into lengths roughly 3cm long.
   
5. Put the rocket, tomatoes and asparagus onto a serving plate.  Carefully lift out the mozzarella (making sure to keep the marinade) and add this to the salad ingredients.  Add 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the marinade, whisk together and then pour this over the salad just before serving, giving the salad a good toss to make sure everything is coated nicely.