HONEST FOOD
A delicious take on tomato soup
BEVAN SMITH OPENED Riverstone Kitchen in 2006 after a career that has taken him from Le Pont de la Tour and Michael Caine’s Canteen in London to the acclaimed e’cco bistro in Australia. Riverstone Kitchen, nestled in the North Otago countryside just north of Oamaru, has won numerous awards and lives by its motto: think seasonal – buy local – eat well.
Smith’s latest cook book mirrors just that filled with recipes of honest food, packed with flavour. It features a collection of over 90 of the restaurant’s most popular and requested recipes.
He says food doesn’t go out of fashion when it is this delicious, and that customers naturally ask for many of the recipes to try themselves so a new book was definitely overdue.
TOMATO, BREAD and GARLIC SOUP
serves 4 | prep time 5 mins | cook time 20 mins
Ingredients
2 x 400g cans chopped Italian tomatoes, or 1kg very ripe tomatoes 180ml extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced 1 bunch basil, picked
1/2 loaf stale ciabatta, crust removed and roughly chopped 500ml chicken stock vegetable stock or water 1 tsp sugar salt and pepper
1/4 cup ground Parmesan
Method
If using fresh tomatoes, first blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water and refresh immediately with cold water. Remove skins, squeeze out seeds and roughly chop the tomato flesh.
Heat 100ml olive oil in a heavybased pot over a medium heat, add garlic and cook for 15–30 seconds or until garlic just begins to colour (be careful not to burn the garlic or the soup will taste bitter). Add tomatoes and half the basil. Bring to the boil and simmer for 6–8 minutes until thick. Add ciabatta, stock or water and sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper and divide between four bowls. Finish with remaining basil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the Parmesan.
BEVAN’S TIP: Use any basil stalks and Parmesan rinds you might have by placing them in the soup as it cooks to give extra flavour.