English tomato with red pepper dressing, courgette, basil and ricotta purée
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This beautiful, and surprisingly easy-to-make appetiser from Jack Croft and Will Murray of Fallow is inspired by gazpacho. In keeping with Fallow’s ethos of minimising waste, at the restaurant the red pepper and tomato dressing is made with slightly bruised tomatoes that are considered ‘second class’. In fact, these extra-soft and beautifully sweet tomatoes are perfect for the dressing. The pickled shallots need to be left in the brine overnight, so be sure to prepare them a day in advance.
Ingredients
Pickled shallots
- 500g of banana shallot , peeled and very finely sliced
- 5g of salt
- 35g of sugar
- 250g of white wine vinegar
- 125g of water
Courgette and ricotta purée
- 30g of extra virgin rapeseed oil
- 500g of courgette , finely diced
- 5g of salt
- 1 handful of ice cubes
- 250g of ricotta
- 50g of basil , thinly sliced
Red pepper and tomato dressing
- 4 red peppers
- extra virgin rapeseed oil to taste
- 200g of red cherry tomatoes
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Marinated tomatoes
- 250g of heritage tomatoes , halved
- 5g of Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Marinated courgettes
- 1/2 yellow courgette , thinly sliced into half moons (1-2mm thick)
- 10g of fresh mint , cut into a chiffonade
- 20g of toasted buckwheat
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
- extra virgin rapeseed oil to taste
To garnish
- 2 sprigs of fresh mint
- extra virgin rapeseed oil to taste
Equipment
- Thermomix or blender
- Chinois
Method
The day before serving, peel and very finely slice the shallots lengthways on a mandoline, approx. 1-2mm thick
- 500g of banana shallot , peeled and very finely sliced
Wash the shallots well in cold water to remove some of the rawness of the onion, then drain
Add the salt, sugar, vinegar and water to a pan and warm through until the sugar and salt dissolve. Set aside to cool
- 5g of salt
- 35g of sugar
- 125g of water
- 250g of white wine vinegar
Submerge the shallots in the pickle and pickle for a minimum of 24 hours. Store in the fridge until needed
To make the courgette purée, heat the rapeseed oil in a medium pan, then add the courgette into the pan
- 30g of extra virgin rapeseed oil
- 500g of courgette , diced
Sweat on a high heat for 5 mins until the courgette just starts to go soft
Finely chiffonade the basil
- 50g of basil , thinly sliced
Place the contents into the Thermomix or blender. If using a Thermomix blend on speed 8 for 3 minutes. If using a blender then blend on high until smooth. If needed add 50 ml of water to help the mixture form to a smooth puree. Taste and check the consistency - add more salt if needed
Prepare a bowl of ice water, and cool the purée down in a bowl placed over the ice water. This will help preserve the courgette's bright green colour
- 1 handful of ice cubes
Once cooled, pass the puree through a chinois. Mix in the ricotta and set aside
- 250g of ricotta
To make the red pepper and tomato dressing, preheat oven to 160C/gas mark 3, and preheat the grill to the highest setting
Take the red peppers and rub them with oil and salt. Transfer the peppers to the grill and cook until the skin is thoroughly blackened, turning frequently. You could also do this in a very hot oven
- 4 red peppers
- extra virgin rapeseed oil to taste
- salt to taste
Once the peppers are blistered and charred, transfer to a baking tray or oven-proof dish and cover with foil. Place in the oven for 5 mins to steam the skins off
Once steamed, remove the peppers and set aside to cool
Once the roast peppers are cool, peel off their skin and de-seed them. Don't worry too much if there is some skin still stuck to the peppers - it gives the final dish a nice, charred flavour
Place the peppers along with the tomatoes, 30g shallot pickling liquid, a small glug of extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper into a blender jug or thermomix. Blend on full speed for 1 minute or until smooth
- 200g of red cherry tomatoes
- extra virgin rapeseed oil to taste
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Taste the dressing and amend the seasoning if required. It should be very fresh, have a good sheen and good acidity
To make the marinated tomatoes, cut up the heritage tomatoes and place into a bowl. Season well with salt and pepper, add the vinegar and leave to sit for 5 minutes
- 250g of heritage tomatoes , halved
- 5g of Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
To make the marinated courgette, cut the yellow courgette lengthwise and then slice on a bias into thin half moons (1-2 mm thick)
- 1/2 yellow courgette , thinly sliced into half moons (1-2mm thick)
Place the courgette slices into a bowl and dress with the buckwheat, salt, pepper, a little bit of the finely sliced mint and rapeseed oil. Set aside
- 10g of fresh mint , cut into a chiffonade
- 20g of toasted buckwheat
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- extra virgin rapeseed oil to taste
Mix the marinated tomatoes with the pickled shallots and remaining finely sliced mint
To plate up, spoon the red pepper dressing in the bottom of a bowl. Place the marinated tomatoes on top and then spoon or pipe the courgette purée around the tomatoes
Garnish the tomatoes with the courgette slices and some springs of mint. Finish with a final drizzle of rapeseed oil
- 2 sprigs of fresh mint
- extra virgin rapeseed oil to taste
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English tomato with red pepper dressing, courgette, basil and ricotta purée
