Hmm, it's a bit fiddly.
Make tomato fondue:
1 onion, peeled finely chopped
125ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 star anise
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 heaped teaspoon coriander seeds
a bouquet garni: thyme, selery leaf, parsley and bay leaf, tied with a strip of leek
650 ml best-quality tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped, the juices strained and reserved
a few drops of tabasco
a few drops of Worcestershire sauce
1 dessertspoon of tomato ketchup, homemade if you have it
25ml best quality sherry vinegar
finely grated lemon zest to taste
10 strands of saffron (optional)
- sweat onion in olive oil with spices for 10 minutes, low heat
- add garlic and bouquet garni, sweat for 5 more minutes
- add tomatoes, tomato juices, tabasco and worcestershire sauce, ketchup and vinegar, then add lemon zest and cook on a very low heat for 3-4 hours, adding the saffron, if using, 45 minutes into the cooking
- when cooked the fondue will be dark red and almost jamlike. If any oil has split out of the mix, it can just be poured off.
Tomato fondue can be used for lots of stuf, and will keep well in the fridge.
Beans
tomato fondue
extra virgin olive oil
200g dried haricot beans (best quality)
1 onion, peeled and halved, studded with 2 cloves
3 carrots, topped, tailed and halved lengthwise
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
bouquet garni (thyme, rosemary, bay leaf)
1 stick of celery
1 leek, cut crossways into 3 pieces
75g unsalted butter
salt + fresh-ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 110C
- Puree the tomato fondue in a blender with a little of the oil from the fondue, or olive oil, and a touch of water if necessary. There should be enough puree to cover the beans by 1-2 cm.
- put beans into an ovenproof dish, cover with the tomato puree and add all the toher ingredients. Season generously.
- cover the dish, using tin foil if you have no lid, and place it in the oven. After three hours, turn off the oven and leave the beans to cool down.
Beans will keep for a few weeks, longer if they're in a sterilized preserving jar.