Tommy Banks' tomato salad with shaved goat's cheese
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- plus hanging plus marinating
- A little effort
- Serves 4
Skip to ingredients
TOMATO ESSENCE
- 750g tomatoesripe, roughly chopped
- 1/4 onionroughly chopped
- 1/4 cucumberroughly chopped
- 1/2 stick celeryroughly chopped
- 1 small clove garlicchopped
- 1/4 red pepperroughly chopped
- 1/4 fennelroughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- a pinch cayenne pepper
GARNISH
- 50g goat's cheeserind removed
- 12 red cherry tomatoes
- 12 yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- a pinch smoked paprika
- 25g pine nutstoasted
- a small bunch basilshredded
Method
step 1
Wrap the goat’s cheese tightly in clingfilm and freeze for at least 5 hours, but preferably overnight.
step 2
For the tomato essence, add all of the ingredients to a bowl, mix well, cover and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
step 3
Pour the mix into a food processor and pulse several times until it’s a rough pulp. Pour into a large mixing bowl lined with a double layer of clean muslin. Tie together the 4 corners of the muslin with string and suspend over the bowl – we do this using the taps above a sink or two overturned chairs and a broom handle. Leave to hang for at least 4 hours.
step 4
Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the cherry tomatoes for 15-20 seconds before plunging straight into iced water. Peel and put into a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt, sugar and smoked paprika, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
step 5
When ready to serve, warm the tomato essence in a pan. Divide the peeled tomatoes between bowls, sprinkle with pine nuts and basil, and grate over the frozen goat’s cheese so that it completely hides the tomatoes. Pour the warmed tomato essence at the table, if you like.
