Two Tomato Tartare with Green Relish

Tomatoes may be one of the most commonly used fruits in the world. I certainly have no problem listing the multitude of meals that include them… If this were a game, I could go on indefinitely. And, on top of it, there’s ketchup – pretty high on the list of favorite condiments (although I think it’s been surpassed by salsa in recent years). However there’s not a much more elegantly uncommon yet satisfying dish than this beautiful tomato tartare sitting in its private pool of basil pesto. It’s almost too pretty to eat. But seriously, you’ve just got to break down and dig in. It’s like sand art; impermanence and beauty making a statement. And this one is one delicious statement.

This is a meal that needs no dehydrator.In fact, it doesn’t need much of anything except attentive cutting and even that doesn’t take long. The whole meal can be ready in minutes with the hardest part piling it in and out of the Wonder cup. And a note on that too: if you don’t have a Wondercup, don’t sweat it. Just pile up the tomatoes, put the relish on top and the basil pesto around it and know that nothing will taste different. I was just in a creative kind of mood today and this is what came out of it. Making simple things complicated. A chefs priviledge.

Shhhh…

However I will tell you a secret: once I had the whole thing plated beautifully and I sat down to enjoy it, the first thing I did was knock the tower down. Boom! All over my plate. I had the most annoying afternoon home-schooling four kids through assessment tests and all kinds of weird computer issues and this was like my primal scream. A strangely satifying gesture after all the pains I took to put it together. Then I mixed it all up with the basil pesto till it was quite a mess. And when I got that mess perfected, I ate it.

I was the Creator and then I became the Destructor.

Like I said, just like sand art. Better even. Because no one would want to eat sand, would they?

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: Two Tomato Tartare with Green Relish

Tomato Tartare

3 large red heirloom tomatoes. seeded and diced small

1/2 cucumber, diced small

2 small green tomatoes, diced small

1 small red onion, diced small

1 small handful basil, julienned fine

2 Tbspns. Basil or lemon infused extra virgin olive oil*

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Ground pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Gently mix all ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Set aside.

Green Tomato and Avocado Relish

1 large green tomato

1/2 an avocado

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

squeeze of lemon

pinch of sea salt

Basil Pesto

2 cups basil, chopped

1/2 cup pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

juice of half a lime

1/4 cup olive oil

pinch sea salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Process until smooth.

Garnish

1/4 cup pine nuts

To Assemble Tomato Tartare

Using a Wonder cup, pack with the tomato tartare mixture to 1 1/4 cups. Carefully press out onto middle of plate.

Top tomato ‘tower’ with a heaping tablespoon of the green tomato avocado relish.

Spoon pesto around the bottom of tomatoes.

Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

SERVES 4