Caxton magazines staffFood blogger Jane-Anne Hobbs, author of the cookbook ‘Scrumptious: Food for Family and Friends’ (Struik Lifestyle), is passionate about heart-warming, home-cooked dishes that combine the latest culinary trends with a generous pinch of nostalgia
INGREDIENTS
- 2 extra-large free-range egg yolks
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
- 2 thin slices fresh white bread, crusts cut off
- 2T white wine vinegar
- 5T extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 English cucumbers, peeled and cubed
- 6 slim spring onions, white and pale green parts only, sliced
- 1 small green pepper, chopped
- 4 large sprigs pale celery leaves, taken from the heart of the bunch
- 4T fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 cups thick natural yoghurt
- 2 cups iced water
- salt and milled black pepper
- ice cubes, to serve
For the tomato granita:
- 400g ripe cherry tomatoes
- 1t lemon juice
- 2t Tabasco sauce
- salt and milled black pepper
METHOD
1. First make the tomato granita: place a shallow metal dish in the freezer for 1 hour. Purée the cherry tomatoes in a blender and tip the mixture into a sieve set over a bowl; press down on the puréed tomatoes with the back of a spoon to extract all the juice. Discard the pulp, stir in the lemon juice and Tabasco and season with salt and pepper.
2. Pour the granita mix into the cold shallow metal dish and freeze for 30–45 minutes, or until the mixture is set at the edges. Using a fork, scrape and scratch the frozen edges to create crystalline flakes. Freeze for another 20–30 minutes, scrape again, and continue freezing and scraping, working inwards to the middle of the dish, until you have a fluffy pile of coral-pink ice flakes. Keep covered in the freezer until just before serving.
3. To make the white gazpacho: put the egg yolks, garlic, bread, vinegar and 2T of the olive oil into a blender and whizz to a paste. Add the remaining olive oil in a steady stream and blend to a thick emulsion. Add the remaining gazpacho ingredients (in batches, if necessary), and process until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour the soup into a large non-metallic bowl, cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
5. To assemble the dish: ladle the cold soup into chilled bowls, add a few ice cubes and a pyramid of tomato granita and serve immediately.
This recipe serves 8.
