This recipe is inspired by an idea from Jamie Oliver, but is quite different from his. The consomme can be served as a starter, served as a soft drink, or goes fantastically well with tequila in a salt rimmed glass!
Ingredients:
a large bunch of fresh basil
2 kg ripe vine tomatoes
a 2cm piece of peeled ginger
1 clove of garlic
a splash of white wine vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Take the basil, tomatoes, ginger and garlic and blend (in batches, if necessary) to a fine pulp. Remove from blender into a muslin or tea-towel lined bowl. Add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. The smell at this stage reminds me of tomato sandwiches in my grand-father's greenhouse as a child - great memories!
Carefully lift the corners of the cloth and tie like a mail sack and secure with a hook or by tieing to a beam, the cloth directly above the bowl. Now leave for between 5 and 7 hours.
The resulting liquid will be crystal clear, have the most fantastic smell, and because it will have virtually no colour it will confuse any would-be taster, at least initially.
Chill for a couple of hours and serve as a starter (with a little olive oil and a basil leaf or two), as a refreshing non-alcoholic drink, or as an intriguing mixer with tequila and salt.
The taste is really quite stunning!
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