Tribute to basil
Appetizer: Clear tomato soup with polenta blossoms
For 4 portions Without waiting finished in 1 hour
ingredients
Soup: 1 bunch of soup greens | 2 garlic cloves | 1 onion | 500 g of tomatoes | 3 tbsp oil | 2 cans of peeled tomatoes à 800 g | 1/2 l of tomato juice | 1/2 l vegetable broth | 1 teaspoon allspice and peppercorns | 1 bay leaf | 1/2 teaspoon sweet pepper and curry powder each | 1 1/2 tsp. of basil and oregano (dried) | Salt | freshly ground pepper | Tabasco | 3-4 protein | 1 cup of ice cubes. Polenta blossoms: 1/4 l vegetable broth | 100 ml of milk | freshly grated nutmeg Salt | freshly ground pepper | 100 g corn semolina | 1 bunch of basil | 30 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
preparation
For the soup: Clean and dice the greens. Peel off garlic and chop. Halve the unshelled onion and darken the cut surface on the griddle (or in the pan). Set a tomato aside, dice the rest. Soup greens and garlic in the hot oil. Add the fresh diced tomatoes, canned tomatoes and the roasted onion. Add tomato juice and vegetable stock. Add the spices and herbs and cook for 30 minutes. Season the soup with salt, pepper and Tabasco and let cool completely, preferably overnight. Mix egg whites and ice cubes. Add to the cold soup, mix well and heat slowly. Cook for two minutes without stirring. Lay out a large sieve with a linen cloth and pour the soup through the sieve. Season again with salt and pepper.
Peel off the set tomato and remove the seeds. Cut the pulp into slices.
For the polenta blossoms: Boil broth and milk and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the semolina and cook for about eight minutes, stirring frequently. Rinse the basil, shake dry and set eight leaves aside, chop the rest. Add the Parmesan cheese and chopped basil to the polenta. Spread the pole pulp about 1 cm thick on a rinsed plate and let it cool. Cut out flowers or stars with a cookie cutter. Add remaining basil leaves, tomato slices and the polenta blossoms to deep plates and top up with the hot soup.
Main course: lamb chops with tomato couscous
Delicious to bite - lamb chops crisply fried.
For 4 servings No waiting in 45 minutes
ingredients
Lammchops: 8 half lambback cutlets à 80 g (Lammchops) | 1 teaspoon curry powder and rose paprika | 2 tsp. of basil and oregano (dried) | freshly ground pepper | 2 garlic cloves | 100 ml of oil. Tomato couscous: 1 garlic clove | Salt | 2 leek onions | 1 red and green chili pepper each | 8 dried tomatoes in oil (about 60 g) | 15 pickled black olives without stone | 150 g of instant couscous | 3 teaspoon fine capers | freshly ground pepper | 1/2 - 1 bunch of basil. Sauce: 250 ml lamb stock | 160 ml of red wine or broth | 1 splash of balsamic vinegar | 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste | 1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce | Salt | freshly ground pepper.
For the lamb chops: Carve the fat edge of the chops and rub the meat with spices, dried herbs and pepper. Remove the garlic and quarter. Put the meat and garlic in a bowl, add oil and marinate overnight.
For the couscous: Remove the garlic, sprinkle with salt and crush. Peel the spring onions and cut into fine rings. Core the chili peppers and finely dice them. Drain the pickled tomatoes (catch the oil) and finely dice, cut the olives into fine rings. Let the couscous swell in hot salted water according to the instructions in the package. Fry chili in two teaspoons of tomato oil, add spring onions, tomatoes, garlic, olives and capers and warm. Season with pepper and a little salt. Mix the seasoning mixture under the couscous. Warm couscous.
Sear the meat in a little marinade oil from both sides. Wrap in aluminum foil, seal tightly and let rise in the preheated oven at 80 degrees, convection 70 degrees, gas level 1 for ten to 25 minutes. The cooking time depends on the size, the searing time and the desired cooking level. 80 grams of heavy chops sautéed for one and a half minutes on each side are cooked in a pink oven after 15 minutes.
For the sauce: Add a few pieces of garlic from the marinade to the frying fat and sauté briefly. Add the lamb stock, red wine and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Remove the garlic and mix the sauce with the tomato paste. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Add the gravy of the lamb chops to the sauce. Cut the basil into strips and put it under the couscous.Serve the couscous with the lamb chops and gravy.
Dessert: basil and apple tart
For 4 servings Ready in 30 minutes
ingredients
2 slices of puff pastry à 50 g | 2-3 tablespoons of hail sugar | 1 egg yolk | 2 tablespoons milk | 250 g of sour apples | 1 tbsp butter 2 tablespoons of sugar | 2 tablespoons orange juice | 1/8 l of apple juice | 1 bunch of basil | 200 g of whipped cream | 1/2 pomegranate | Powdered sugar for dusting.
Thaw the puff pastry according to the packing instructions. Sprinkle the dough with hail sugar and lightly press the sugar into the dough with the cake roll, but do not roll out the dough. Cut four circles out of the dough with a salad bowl or a glass (diameter 8-9 cm). The edge should be pressed tightly together. Whisk egg yolks and milk and sprinkle with the puff pastry circles. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degrees, convection 170 degrees, gas stage 3 for about 15 minutes until golden brown "balls" are formed. Let cool down. Peel the apples, core them and cut them into pieces. Sauté in the hot butter, sprinkle with sugar and cook for a few minutes until the sugar is caramelized. Add the two fruit juices and cook for another five minutes until the apples are tender. Let cool down.
Blend the apple compote and basil just before serving with the hand blender so that the basil retains its color and scent. Whip the whipped cream and mix with the applesauce. Cut off the puff pastry tarts and fill the tarts with the creamy apple sauce. Put the lid back on top and arrange the tarts with pomegranate seeds and powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
The Schedule
The day before
- Make tomato soup and polenta blossoms.
- Cook apple compote (without basil).
- Marinating lamb chops.
2 hours before the guests arrive
- Bake puff pastry tartlets.
- Prepare vegetables and spices for couscous.
- Cut tomatoes for soup in columns.
- Fry the lamb chops and wrap in aluminum foil.
- Cook the sauce for the chops.
When the guests are there
- After the aperitif, warm the soup
- The cold lamb cutlets need more heat. Therefore place in the oven preheated to 180 degrees and cook for about 20 minutes
- Finish the soup and serve.
- When the soup has eaten, let the couscous swell and finish.
- Heat the sauce and stir in the gravy of the lamb chops.
- Finish the soup and serve.
- Serve main course.
- After the main course, finish creamy applesauce and fill in the puff pastry balls and serve.
