CityLife

Ingenious tomato and rosemary broth

By John Benson-Smith

1 / 1 imagesSUMMER TREAT: Tomato and rosemary broth

THIS dish came about at the end of one summer when I had a huge surplus of ripe and fragrant red tomatoes and I wanted to capture their clean flavour.

I experimented long and hard before coming up with the idea to try to offset the sharp qualities of the tomato with a hint (and I mean a hint) of aromatic rosemary herb.

This is a herb which should be used with caution, as too much can result in a very ‘soapy’ taste which ruins the dish entirely.

I like to serve this as a small middle course – ideal at a dinner party if your culinary efforts aren’t timed perfectly.

The colour of the broth will vary from dark pink through to almost clear depending on the time of year you make it.

It should be served at room temperature enabling the flavours to sing out, while providing a subtle taste on the palette.

Ingredients
6 ripe, red tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1 sprig of rosemary
8 fresh chives
1 piece of muslin cloth or a clean white linen tea towel (dampened slightly)

Method
Place the tomatoes, garlic and rosemary sprig into a food processor.
Blend until it reaches a pulp, then place into a pan and bring to the boil.
Pour into a sieve lined with the muslin and let the juices drip through. It is important not to work the pulp through the sieve.
When the liquid has stopped dripping, serve in small espresso cups and add a couple of spiky chives to look like small straws.

Published: Thu, 14 May, 2009

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Stuart Bailey wrote:

Gorgeous tasting, but how many is this recipe supposed to be for? I just managed to squeeze 2 espresso cups.