Realizing that I am not worthy to carry the apron of most of you food experts, I throw myself at your mercy. I am looking for the recipe (or at least a very close imitation) for that molded tomato dish served at Cibreo. It is very rich tasting (amost buttery). It appears to be made with pureed tomato and herbs and is presented floating on olive oil. Has anyone eaten it there? Does anyone know what it is called and how to make it? I rashly promised my sister-in-law that I would get the recipe and make it for her birthday. I'm in trouble!
Deborah Horn
In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there. ----------------------------------- Marketing Solutions for Health Care
Posts: 5105 | Location: St. Louis, MO | Registered: 04 September 2001
Cibrèo has a website but it's currently under construction. It does indicate their email address, so maybe you could give it a try (and share the recipe with us if they're willing to give it to you!). On the Divinacucina web site, I found out that Cibrèo has a small recipe book out there. I also found out that many Cibrèo recipes appear in different cook books about Tuscany and also printed the recipe for their Yellow Pepper Soup while I was there! If you know the name of the dish, a simple search on Epirurious would certainly give you results. Good luck!
Here's the recipe from Epicurious for "Fabio's Tomato Aspic". Found it via Faith Willinger's site (www.faithwillinger.com) which is a great source for recipes and restaurant recommendations. Let us know how it turns out!
FABIO'S TOMATO ASPIC
Fabio Picchi, owner and chef of the restaurant Cibrèo in Florence, cooks like a Florentine granny with a spicy palate. He takes full advantage of seasonal abundance from the Sant' Ambrogio market next to his restaurant. Fabio's recipes are wonderful but imprecise, quantities are vague, and I've got to pay strict attention so he doesn't skip an ingredient or a step. His refreshing summery tomato aspic is simple and uses traditional ingredients in a novel way, creating a spicy tomato sauce with a wiggle, barely jelled, more fun than a formal aspic. Bright red, speckled with herbs, zapped with chili and garlic, Fabio's appetizer is a far cry from the ladies-lunch image of conventional, transparent consommé aspics. Even my gelatin-hating husband and son love this dish. Double the extra virgin for more authentic Tuscan flavor. 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 3 tablespoons fresh minced basil or parsley or a combination of both 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 small, hot red pepper, minced or chili pepper flakes to taste 1-1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus additional for garnish
1. Split the tomatoes in half and squeeze the halves into a sieve over a small bowl to remove juice and seeds. Press the mixture in the sieve and reserve the liquid and the pulp.
2. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor and pass through a food mill or strainer to remove the skins. (Or peel, seed, juice, and process tomatoes until smooth if you don't have a food mill.) Add the reserved juice to the pulp and measure 2 1/4 cups of tomato.
3. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup tomato pulp in a medium-sized bowl, stir, and soak for 3 minutes. Heat 1/2 cup tomato pulp until boiling, add to the softened gelatin, and stir in to dissolve the gelatin. Add the rest of the tomato pulp, the basil, garlic, hot pepper, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Divide the mixture into 6 lightly oiled 1/2-cup molds for at least 3 hours. unmold and top with a drizzle of extra virgin.
Makes 6 servings.
[This message was edited by LizS on 14 May 2003 at 09:12 AM.]
This dish can be prepared slightly in advance, but should not be left overnight to be served the next day - the tomatoes become excessively acidic and lose their fresh aroma.
In a previous life I was an Umbrian sunflower farmer. I'd like to do a past life regression and stay there. ----------------------------------- Marketing Solutions for Health Care
Posts: 5105 | Location: St. Louis, MO | Registered: 04 September 2001
"Found it via Faith Willinger's site (www.faithwillinger.com) which is a great source for recipes and restaurant recommendations. Let us know how it turns out!"
Liz, I am very impressed by Faith Willinger. I posed a question once to Food and Wine and within 24 hours got a response from Ms Willinger herself.
This recipe makes me dream of August when the plum tomatoes are ripe on the vine. Pat
Posts: 1109 | Location: Rochester, NY and Bonita Springs, Fl | Registered: 18 September 2002
Pat - I had the same experience - I took a shot and e-mailed her with questions about Puglia (this was before her web site) and she was most helpful - then she followed up after our return to find out how we liked the restaurants she recommended.
It would be great if you could join us for the GTG!
Liz
[This message was edited by LizS on 14 May 2003 at 01:39 PM.]
Topping this thread because at lunch today Nancy mentioned that someone was asking about the Tomato Aspic recipe and thought she had it, but she doesn't, but she remembered that it had been posted before.
quote:Originally posted by Diva: Off season do try it anyway, but with Italian canned tomatoes. Don't use out of season tomatoes with no flavor!
Really! I was JUST wondering about this! I'm starting to think about putting a Thanksgiving dinner together. (Actually, that's an understatement- I have become consumed by putting a great Thanksgiving together for my family. I believe it's the confluence of my twin sister being pregnant and my dear mom having just been diagnosed with lymphoma . It's causing me to go a bit off the deep end on the domesticity front!)
Anyway, I thought this might be a kind of fun, different kind of starter. Thanks for the tip!
Topic Closed
. It's causing me to go a bit off the deep end on the domesticity front!)
