Tomato Topping

Submitted by Andi Longmeadow Farm

"Besides Dennis, and my family on the farm, my other great love is the nifty tomato. It is in my top 2 food choices ever. Upon grabbing the little hiding tomato in the garden, and popping into your mouth on a hot summer day is; about the most terrific taste and feeling one can have. I typically feel like "Julie Andrews" in "The Sound of Music" when she twirls about singing about the "Hills are alive....." I just can't help it. I eat so many tomatoes in fact, (all seasons) that I honestly get those double darn sores in your mouth from the acid. That aside, I haven't met a tomato I have like. This is why this recipe, to me, is quite simply one of the best uses of a tomato that has ever been discovered. Quite honestly, I love ground beef tartare. Sometimes due to dietary smartness, I can't always go around and order Beef Tartare. Jacques Pepin, (great, great Chef) came up with the wonderful addition to the tartare world. I especially love the use of tomato water sauce. Read on, and see if you wouldn't like it too."

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 large tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons onions (chopped finely)
• 3⁄4 cup of diced old bread
• 3 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt (I think this really revves up tomatoes)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground pepper, course

• The Water of the Tomato

• water, from the tomato (=6 tablespoons)
• tomato juice (or V8)
• 5 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons chives, fresh (chopped finely)
• parsley (to garnish)

directions

1. Half the tomatoes and give them a gentle squeeze into a sieve to release the seeds. Push a spoon to gently press out as much juice as possible. Discard seeds.
2. Dice tomato into 1/4 inch pieces.
3. Add rest of ingredients, (except for The Water Sauce), mixing gently.
4. Measure out 6 tablespoons of tomato water. If you don't have enough, use canned tomato juice or V-8 so you will measure the right amount.
5. Put all ingredients for the "Water of the Tomato" together and mix to emulsify.
6. Serving time comes right now, carefully take a good scoop of tomato tartare mixture and place in the center of a china plate. Or a plastic plate. Whatever you have. But you will have enough for 4 good sized servings for each plate.
7. Spoon 1/4 of the tomato water on each serving.
8. Garnish with parsley.
9. Pretend you are dining with the "King and Queen".

Reviews

[Shuzbud]

Wonderful, wonderful recipe! I don't usually enjoy raw onions in anything but this recipe has just the right amount. I reduced the olive oil a little and had this as a salad for lunch. Thanks Andi for yet another wonderful recipe!

 

[Sharon123]

I loved the flavors in this dish! I used V8 juice and green onion instead of chives. Thanks Andi, for a yummy side dish!

 

[Chef floWer]

Excellent flavour! I have so many tomatoes growing in the garden, so I thought this recipe would be perfect. I used about 10 mini Roma tomatoes and used fresh seeded sour bread but kept to the recipe. we enjoyed it on Hubby's birthday as a main meal. I used the tartare tomato as a base, topped it with grilled swordfish and drizzle it's water sauce on top of the fish. I would be definitely making this again and eating it as a snack like a queen. Thank you Andi of Longmeadow Farm

 

[Christineyy]

I should have read Kumquat's review more closely because everything that I wish I would have changed, she did change... I loved this as did my mom because we are both tomato fanatics! I wish I would have cut down on the olive oil even more than I did because it was very strong but it just took some getting used o because I enjoyed this dish as I ate more and more. My suggestions would be to cut back on the olive oil both in the tomatoes and in the tomato water, make the bread pieces fairly small or even into crumbs as Kumquat did, cut some of the tomato into big chunks and the rest into smaller pieces so there are varying sizes, and make sure your onion is very small since it is raw it isn't fun to bite into a big chunk of raw onion (at least for me it isn't). Great recipe, Andi. Thank you!

 

[Kumquat the Cats fr]

Well I don't do beef tartare, but this tomato dish was over the top excellent! It's been easier to find good tomatoes on the off season, so I decided to try this dish. Instead of 2 large tomatoes I used 3 medium, and ended up with about 6 tablespoons juice, so I decided to replace one of the tablespoons with the V8 I bought:D Otherwise, I only added about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. As for the bread, I toasted up a slice of sourdough, blended it up in the blender and ended up with about 3/4 cup. BF and I ate the whole thing. He was as crazy as I was for this recipe! BTW, tomatoes are also among my favorite veggies, I eat them all the time and never get sores in my mouth:D Will be making this often and this recipe is now in my favorites cookbook. Thanks Andi, you've done it again! Unfortunately my picture did not do this recipe justice.