Tomato Avocado

Saint Pierre
3 days ago
2 min read

With its significant burst of umami, tomato has been one of my long time favourite (yet confusing) ingredient. To be botanically correct, it is a berry (therefore it's a fruit) but it is used as a vegetable. Well, cucumber, green beans, eggplant, zucchini are in the same category but the tomato has a special history.

Native from South America and brought back by the Spanish in the 16th century, it remained an ornamental plant for over 100 years. The tomato was poisonous! At least it is what people thought, mainly due to the interaction of the acidic juice on the pewter plates in use back then. Imagine today's Italian or Spanish cuisine without tomato!

Today we have over 10000 different type of tomatoes, all edible.

If you are ever in Būnol in Spain at the end of August, there is a festival called “La Tomatina”. The idea is simple: throw ripe tomatoes at each other. The city council even published a short list of instruction like: “Do not throw anything but tomatoes”, “Squash tomatoes before throwing them to avoid hurting others" or “Only throw tomatoes to a target you can see, to avoid hurting others”. So if this recipe failed, you still have an option.

— E.S

(Serves 2)

AVOCADO

INGREDIENTS

Avocado 150g, peeled Basil Oil 20ml Lime Juice 8ml

Salt 1g

METHOD

Combine ingredients and blend in food processor till smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Store in a squeeze bottle. the ingredients above. Set Aside.

TOMATO

INGREDIENTS

Tomato 2, peeled Mixed cress/flower - washed

Lily bulb 1, thinly slice

METHOD

Prepare the ingredients above. Set Aside.

SZECHUAN PEPPERCORN OIL

INGREDIENTS

Grapeseed oil 100ml

Szechuan peppercorn 15g

Fresh ginger 15g, peeled and grated

Garlic clove 6, peeled and grated

Black sesame seed 20g

Sugar 15g

Salt 5g

Light soy sauce 20g

Rice vinegar 15ml

METHOD

Combine all remaining ingredients in a small metal bowl.
Heat the grapeseed oil in a pot and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and pour oil over the ingredients. Allow to infuse for 3 minutes. Strain and reserve the infused oil.

ASSEMBLY

Set the tomato in the dish.
Garnish with avocado cream, cress and lily bulb.
Finish with Szechuan peppercorn oil.