When El Bulli started serving this riff on classic tartare, they didn’t tell diners it was made from tomatoes. It was amazing to watch people eat this, love it, and then lose their minds when they discovered it was tomatoes, not beef. It’s astonishing how a slow-roasted tomato can take on the texture and appearance of raw beef, especially when dressed up with all the other traditional tartare ingredients.
The oven-dried tomatoes take some time to make, so you might want to double or even triple this recipe to have them around in the kitchen. You can use them for Tomato Nigiri, and they also work beautifully in a sandwich, on top of a burger, or tossed into a salad. Stored in the fridge under a layer of olive oil, they’ll hold for a few weeks.
SERVES 4
OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES
4 beefsteak tomatoes (about 3½ pounds), blanched and peeled
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large Persian cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced chives, plus more for garnish
1½ teaspoons HP Sauce
2 teaspoons Savora mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crackers or toast
FOR THE TOMATOES
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the tomatoes into 6 wedges each and scoop out the seeds; reserve the seeds for another use if you like, such as Cauliflower Tabbouleh. Arrange the tomato wedges cut side up on the lined baking sheet and season with the sugar and salt. Bake for about 3 hours, turning the tomatoes once or twice, until quite dry. Remove from the oven and let cool. (The tomatoes can be prepared up to a week in advance. Put them in a shallow airtight container, cover with olive oil, and refrigerate until ready to use.)
FOR THE TARTARE
When you’re ready to serve the tartare, dice the dried tomatoes and transfer to a bowl. Add the cucumber, shallots, chives, steak sauce, and mustard and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange on individual plates and garnish with chives. Serve with crackers or toast.
GREATER GOODS: Savora mustard is a classic mustard from Dijon made with a mix of spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne. It makes everything delicious—there’s no other quite like it. If you don’t have HP Sauce, you can substitute A.1. steak sauce, but HP definitely makes a difference.