In ancient times, an elixir was thought to cure anything, make one immortal, or turn metal into gold. And this elixir, a seasoned purée of really ripe raw homegrown tomato, certainly can turn ordinary vegetables into something delectable. I’ve paired it here with caramelized cauliflower, but it will make even a boiled potato an exciting dish. This is a great way to use very ripe homegrown or farm-stand tomatoes that are almost too juicy to cut up—and are often a bargain at the farm stand. If you have a lot of tomatoes, you can easily multiply this formula for larger quantities. Store elixir in the refrigerator for a week and enjoy it as a beverage as well as a vegetable sauce. I’ve been told it makes a great Bloody Mary. But my favorite is a small glass of chilled tomato elixir in the morning. Try it—it will change your day!

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 pint

　　1 1/2 pounds very ripe and juicy summer tomatoes

　　1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

　　3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil—the best you have!

　　4 plump whole garlic cloves, peeled

　　6 large fresh basil leaves

　　A pinch of dried peperoncino (hot red pepper flakes) (optional)

　　A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)

　　

Step 1

Have a couple of mixing bowls handy, and place a sturdy wire sieve (with small but not tiny holes) in one of them. Rinse the tomatoes if necessary; cut out the cores and any other hard parts.

　　

Step 2

Following the instructions for preparing tomatoes on page 261, peel the tomatoes, slice them in half, and squeeze out the seeds. You should collect all the skins and seeds in the sieve, all the juices in the bowl underneath it, and all the crushed tomato pulp in the second bowl.

　　

Step 3

After you have pressed the seeds and skins to extract their juice, dump out the residue and rinse the sieve. Now put the crushed pulp in the sieve and push and scrape it all vigorously, forming a purée that drops into the juice.

　　

Step 4

(Here’s a quicker procedure, if you prefer: Core and trim the tomatoes but don’t peel them. Cut them into quarters, or smaller pieces, and drop into the sieve. Press and rub the tomatoes—skins, seeds, and all—until the scrapings are as dry as you can get them. It’s faster, but you won’t get quite as much purée this way.)

　　

Step 5

With a wire whisk, blend the puréed pulp and juice, adding the 1/4 teaspoon salt. Now drizzle in your best olive oil, a tablespoon at a time, whisking steadily, as the oil emulsifies. Taste and add more salt if you like.

　　

Step 6

Smash the peeled garlic cloves under the big blade of a chef’s knife; drop them into the emulsion. Crumple up each basil leaf in your fingers to release the oils and drop them in as well. If you like a bit of heat, add a pinch of peperoncino.

　　

Step 7

Cover the bowl, give the garlic and basil 2 to 3 hours to infuse the tomato, at room temperature, then scoop out the cloves and leaves and discard. Whisk up the “elixir,” add salt or drops of lemon juice to taste, and enjoy.

　　

Step 8

Serve at room temperature as a vegetable sauce, then keep it in the refrigerator.

　　

Good With . . .

Step 9

Braised endive

　　

Step 10

Pan-sautéed peppers and/or eggplant

　　

Step 11

Sautéed or boiled zucchini

　　

More Elixirs from the Gardenss

Step 12

The intensity of other raw vegetables at the peak of flavor can be captured in a small sauce, similar to my method for tomato elixir.

　　

Step 13

Try sweet red and yellow peppers: purée them in the food processor and pass through a strainer. Then whisk in salt and your best olive oil to create an “emulsion” sauce with body and texture.

　　

Step 14

Cucumbers are another good base: seed, skin, purée the flesh of small cukes, then emulsify with oil. Serve chilled with hot vegetables, for an unusual treat.

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.