A
Passion for Food: Tomatoes
Having
been in the food business for quite some time, I have
seen many fads come and go. Some have been good ideas
and others simply terrible. Sometimes I find myself in
the grip of a passion for one particular ingredient and
try and use it in as many ways as possible. One of my
favourite great ideas is slow roasted tomatoes. They can
be used in a myriad of ways. Since I am constantly short
on time I will not attempt anything complicated, and wouldn’t
expect anyone else to either. Therefore some of the recipe
ideas suggested here are simple, elegant and effortless.
For example, slow roast baby plum tomatoes with
olive oil, sea salt and pepper and a pinch of herbs for
1-2 hours, and use them as a condiment to accompany grilled
meat. Take this idea further and add the intensely flavoured
tomatoes to hot pasta dishes, roast sea bass or salmon,
or blanched green beans for a vibrant salad. They also
taste great piled on top of smoked mackerel pâté
spread onto a hunk of ciabatta, and as canapés
piled into tiny tartlets with some creamy goats cheese.
Everyone
knows that tomatoes make a fabulously refreshing chilled
soup. Again, slow roasting the tomatoes makes for
a really rich soup which stands up nicely to being well
chilled. For this I would use vine tomatoes, cut into
quarters, tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with crushed
garlic, sea salt, ground black pepper, a little sugar
and a dash of lemon juice. Roast for about 1 1/2 hours
at 100°C. When finished press through a mouli and
leave in the fridge until ready to serve. Simply scatter
with basil leaves and you have an effortless lunch or
starter.
Jeremy
Lee, head chef of the Blueprint Café, also currently
has a thing about slow roast tomatoes. He uses large tomatoes
cooked very slowly, which produces a great natural juice,
whilst retaining the shape of the tomatoes. To these he
adds chorizo, anchovies and black olives as a starter.
This combination is simply divine, as Jeremy would say.
When
we ran Duff & Trotter, a City delicatessen, we used
to make a delicious Chicken, tomato and basil pie.
Great as a lunch dish or picnic pie, cooked chicken is
layered with sliced tomatoes and pesto into a shortcrust
pie base. Top with more pastry and bake until the pastry
is cooked and golden. It can be served warm or cold.
For
a really simple tomato salad, halve tiny yellow
and red cherry tomatoes. Place in a bowl and sprinkle
with sea salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle with basil
oil and serve immediately with really good bread to mop
up the juices.
For
those without the patience to wait for tomatoes to be
slow roasted, here is a quick method of cooking little
cherry or baby plum tomatoes to add to salad or pasta
as soon as they are cooked. Soften 3 peeled, chopped shallots
and a clove of garlic, peeled and crushed in 2 tablespoons
of olive oil. Add 500g tomatoes and cook fairly quickly
for about 3 minutes until tomatoes soften. Add basil,
chives or thyme to taste and season.
Log
on again soon for more food ideas!
