Spicy tomato consommé with grilled prawns recipe by John Loubser paired with Steenberg Sémillon wine.
Ingredients
2 kg ripe red tomatoes
3 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
1 beetroot wedge, cooked and peeled (for colour)
45 ml grated root ginger
8 tiger prawns, deveined but still with shell and head
salt for seasoning
30 ml thinly slivered root ginger
1 fresh chilli, very thinly sliced
2 baby leeks, very thinly sliced
8 fresh basil leaves, finely torn
good-quality fish sauce to taste
10 baby tomatoes, halved
Recipe
Serves 4
Preheat the oven grill.
To prepare the consommé, roughly chop 2 kg of tomatoes, celery sticks, garlic and beetroot. Place all, plus the grated ginger, in an electric blender to liquidise.
Pour into a muslin cloth in batches, straining out the clear liquid by squeezing it by hand ('it's surprisingly easy') into a bowl.
Pour the strained liquid into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
Salt the prawns and grill under the very hot grill.
Pour the consommé into preheated soup bowls.
Carefully divide the remaining ingredients (sliced ginger, chilli and leeks, basil, fish sauce and halved baby tomatoes) among the bowls.
Add two grilled prawns to each bowl. Check saltiness and add more fish sauce if required.
Serve immediately.
Wine Pairing
Steenberg Sémillon