Green tomato relish and blond bloody Mary
Let the versatility of tomatoes shine with this relish and tomato bread with a lighter take on a bloody Mary.
Styling Natalie Homan | Photographs Brendan Homan
for pomodori verdi sott’aceto e olio green tomatoes in vinegar and oil
5kg green tomatoes
½ kg salt
500ml white wine vinegar
4 tbsp dried oregano
5 cloves garlic
2 red hot chillies finely chopped (optional)
olive oil
Slice tomatoes into ½cm slices. Place in a bowl and cover liberally with salt. Put a weight on top and allow to stand for 24 hours.
Drain the brine and gently wash off the excess salt. Cover with vinegar, mix well and reapply the weight. Leave for a further 24 hours.
Squeeze tomatoes well with your hands then place back into bowl and mix with garlic, oregano and chillies. Add 1 cup of olive oil and mix well. Place in sterile jars, pressing down with the back of a spoon to eliminate any air pockets and make sure you cover the layers of tomatoes with olive oil. Seal jars. Leave in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks.
for bloody mary goes blond
2kg yellow tomatoes, pureed
lime wedges, and juice
celery salt and black pepper
Tequila
Tabasco sauce
ginger wedge, to taste
coriander, to taste
celery tops, to serve
Blanch, peel and carefully seed 2kg of yellow tomatoes. Puree or pass through a tomato-sauce-making machine (in which case there is no need to manually remove the seeds).
Prepare the glasses by rubbing the rim with lime wedges, then dipping into a mixture of celery salt and black pepper. Set aside in the fridge.
In a blender, puree the tomato puree, Tequila, a few drops of Tabasco, lime juice, ginger and fresh coriander to your taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill glasses with ice and pour in the mixture.
Serve with celery tops.
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for pane al pomodoro (tomato bread)
makes 1 round loaf
55g finely chopped black olives
1 tbsp oil from oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
55g coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
packed in oil
12g active dry yeast
125g warm water
250ml water, at room temperature
500g unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 large egg white, beaten, for glazing
Stir yeast into warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the water and olives and oil from the tomatoes, then stir in the tomatoes. Mix flour and salt and stir a little at a time into the yeast mixture. Knead on a lightly floured surface, sprinkling with 2-3 tbsp of additional flour as needed, until the dough is soft, velvety, and slightly moist (about 8 to 10 minutes). Allow the tomatoes and olives to remain in visible pieces.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down on a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Shape the dough into a ball. Using oiled hands, spread dough in a rough oval shape and slash three parallel lines with a sharp knife to resemble a fougasse loaf.
After cutting, stretch the cuts open to ensure they don’t seal back together during baking.
Place on a well-oiled baking sheet, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 55 minutes.
Preheat oven to 210C. If using a baking stone, turn the oven on 30 minutes before baking and sprinkle the stone with polenta just before sliding the loaf on to it. Bake for 10 minutes, spraying the oven cavity three times with water. Reduce heat to 190C degrees and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer or until cooked and golden. Cool completely on a rack.
This article first appeared in the March 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.
