Tomato salsa February 16, 2010

One night I got a craving for crisps and dip, but I had no dipmix in the house. So, I looked in my cupboard to find out what I had, and made something from that. This salsa can be eaten alone, as a salsa for tacos, or as a dip for crisps, and works great for all three. I am sure there are more uses for it, but those are the ones I have tried.
 
You’ll need:

• Tinned, chopped tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Tabasco sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Lemon and/or lime juice

 
Empty a can of tomatoes into a bowl, add salt, pepper, tabasco, worcestershire sauce and lemon and/or lime juice to taste. Leave in the fridge for half an hour before serving.
 
I have played around with adding other tastes as well, most notably basil.

Pasta sauce Razumny February 16, 2010

This recipe is one I’ve been playing around with for some time now, and it works really well. It is simple and lovely, and tastes best when allowed to simmer for a while.
 
You’ll need:

• Tinned tomatoes (I prefer the chopped ones)
• Onion
• Garlic

tomato

• Champignons (Fresh or hermetic)
• Tomato puree
• Water
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lime or lemon
• Fresh basil
• Tabasco sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Olive oil

 
Slice the onion, garlic and champignons. Heat the oil, and fry the onions and garlic until they are shiny. If the champignons are fresh, they’ll need to be fried in the oil as well. Put in the rest of the ingredients, and season to taste. Leave to simmer for a while. Serve with fresh pasta.
 
There are many ways to play around with this recipe, my last incarnation of this sauce had carrots, rosemary, thyme and red wine, as well as a little coke to round out the taste.
 
Personally, I prefer making this sauce in a cast iron pot, but really, any decent pot will do.

Gazpacho February 16, 2010

Gazpacho is the widely known tomato soup served across the spanish speaking world. There are many takes on it, here’s mine:

• Tinned tomatoes, chopped or whole
• Garlic
• Salt

 
Garnish:

• Croutons
• Cucumber
• Onion
• Sweet corn
• Bell pepper

 
Blitz the tomatoes and garlic in a blender until it’s smooth, and add salt to taste. Salt with herbs can work well as well. Put the soup in the fridge to cool. Serve with loads of ice in the gazpacho, and the different garnishes on the side, to add according to taste. If you want some bits of tomato in the gazpacho, add a tin of chopped tomatoes after you’re done blitzing it.
 
This dish works well with pretty much any beverage, my favorite is beer.
 
Keep in mind that this is simply my take on the concept. I have eaten some great gazpachos, and I feel this is pretty close to true to the taste of the original, and it is so simple it might amaze you.