Lime and Yogurt Tomato Salad

This is definitely not the time of year to have the very best of tomato salads--but on the other hand, cherry tomatoes can be had throughout the year and they are pretty good little flavor bursts any time, so this is a salad to prioritize for the non-tomato season if you don't just skip them all together until July.  The cardamom (which I just did as ground) gives it an interesting kick.

70g Greek-style yoghurt
11/2 oz.  soft, rindless goat’s cheese
½ small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Salt
1-2 limes – zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 1½ tbsp
15 cardamom pods, shells discarded and seeds finely crushed in a mortar
1 large green chilli, finely chopped (pith and seeds removed if you prefer less heat)
500g ripe, sweet cherry tomatoes, halved (or any other great tomatoes you can get)
1 large banana shallot, peeled and finely sliced
60ml olive oil
10g mint leaves, roughly torn

Mix the yoghurt, goat’s cheese, garlic and a pinch of salt in a large bowl until smooth. Add half the lime zest, half the cardamom and half the chilli, and stir to combine. Set aside an eighth of a teaspoon of the remaining crushed cardamom, to serve.

In a second bowl, mix the tomatoes, shallot, lime juice, two tablespoons of oil and half a teaspoon of salt with the remaining lime zest, cardamom and chilli. Add the yoghurt mixture and most of the mint, and stir gently, but not too much – you want still to be able to see the red of the tomatoes and green of the mint in parts.

Transfer to a platter, drizzle with the remaining two tablespoons of oil, finish with the remaining mint and cardamom, and serve.