Tomatoes, 4 ways: Passata, soup, seasoning, and sauce
Tomato season is in full swing, and with it comes a wide variety of ways to prepare them. Erik Cehlár, head chef at Eska in Prague's Karlín, has 4 simple recipes that you'll be enjoying all summer long.
A bakery and kitchen full of life
Visit Eska in Karlín. Everry day, we bake our renowned bread 33, along with sweet buns, cakes and kolache. On Fridays, our bread 66 is available until it sells out – and if you're not in the mood for baked goods, come for a lunch of local produce, or one of our famous breakfasts, which are prepared until late afternoon. Oh, and don't forget to take a look round our shop on the way out.
Below, you’ll find these 4 recipes:
- Tomato passata, perfect to use in pasta sauces, soups, or preserved for the winter.
- Tomato soup
- Tomato water, a strong flavour enhancer that you can add to sauces, dressings, or even a Bloody Mary.
- Tomato beurre blanc, a buttery sauce with tomatoes that you can enjoy with a variety of dishes, including grilled trout.
Passata (tomato purée)
For about 1½ litres of passata
Ingredients:
- 2 kg tomatoes
- a pinch of salt (optional)
Instructions:
- Wash the tomatoes, score them in a cross pattern, and blanch them briefly in boiling water. Then cool them quickly in cold water and peel.
- Remove the stems, chop the tomatoes, and strain to remove the seeds and any remaining skin.
- Cook the resulting purée over a low heat for 20–30 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add salt to taste, if desired.
- Pour the hot passata into clean, warmed bottles. Wipe the rims, seal the bottles, and sterilise them in a water bath at 90°C for about 30 minutes.
- Let the jars cool slowly under a dish towel and store in a dark, cool place. They will keep for at least a year.
Tomato soup
Ingredients:
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- oil for sautéing
- 280 g passata
- 250 ml tomato water
- salt and pepper to taste
- a little sugar to taste (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of cream or a pat of butter (optional, to mellow the flavour)
To serve:
- fresh basil
- cheese to taste (for example parmesan)
Instructions:
- Sauté the onion in a little oil until it softens and develops a sweeter flavour.
- Add the passata and tomato water, stir, and simmer briefly.
- Season with salt, pepper, and, if needed, a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity.
- Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. If you want an extra-smooth consistency, you can strain the soup through a sieve.
- Finally, add cream or butter to enrich the flavour and simmer briefly.
- Serve with fresh basil and cheese.
Tomato water
Ingredients:
- 1½ kg tomatoes
- 5 g salt
Directions:
- Blend the tomatoes with the salt.
- Strain through cheesecloth or a clean dish towel placed over a colander and let drain overnight in the refrigerator.
- Pour the tomato liquid into a glass or other sealable container and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- You can use the remaining pulp as a base for various dishes — it can be preserved either by freezing or canning.
Tomato beurre blanc
Ingredients:
- ½ shallot, finely chopped
- oil for sautéing
- 200 ml tomato water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 allspice berry
- 1 black peppercorn
- salt to taste
- 80 g cold butter
Instructions:
- Sauté the shallot in a little oil over low heat.
- Pour in the tomato water. Add the spices and salt.
- Let it reduce by half.
- Strain.
- Whisk in the butter until a thick, smooth sauce forms.
