CookEat Recipe
Tomato Oyster Broth in Six Cups
A clear oyster broth enriched with a little tomato sauce and served hot in cups.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Wash and prepare the vegetables and herbs. Slice the two carrots and two onions. Chop the leek, two parsley branches, one celery rib and the green pepper. Chop one garlic bean. Use lean uncooked cured unsmoked ham labelled for cooking, measure four ounces after trimming and cut into small pieces. Put the two ounces of butter, ham and all these vegetables in a large saucepan with the two cloves, teaspoon of whole black peppercorns, half sprig each of bay leaves and thyme, tablespoon of salt and light tablespoon of icing sugar. Cook over a brisk heat for about twelve minutes, stirring, until a good brown colour.
Step 2
Measure two quarts of plain whole peeled canned tomatoes together with their tomato juice, then cut the whole tomatoes into quarters, keeping all the juice. Stir the four tablespoons of flour into the browned ham and vegetables and cook for five minutes, mixing well. Add the tomatoes with all their juice and the separate quart of cold water. Mix thoroughly, cover and boil very slowly for one hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Check that the ham has reached at least 70°C for two minutes.
Step 3
Strain the sauce through a sieve into a clean vessel, then through cheesecloth into another clean vessel. Measure one gill of the finished tomato sauce for the oyster broth. Keep this measured portion hot at 140°F or above. Divide the surplus into small shallow containers and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below, within two hours of cooking.
Step 4
Use thirty-six large fresh live oysters and the separate extra pint of fresh oyster liquor from a reputable labelled shellfish supplier. Keep them cold below 4°C. Discard damaged oysters and any live oysters that stay open when tapped. Scrub the shells, open the oysters with a suitable oyster knife, and collect all their natural liquor in a clean bowl. Strain the natural liquor through a fine sieve to remove shell fragments, keeping all the strained liquid.
Step 5
Put all thirty-six shucked oysters and their strained natural liquor in a saucepan with the extra pint of oyster liquor, separate pint of water, four cleaned white celery ribs and two washed parsley branches. Add the separate half teaspoon of salt and two saltspoons of cayenne. Bring to a boil and boil for about five minutes, continuing until the oyster meats are opaque and firm throughout. Skim off the scum, remove the celery and parsley, then lift out all thirty-six oysters with a clean utensil. Put the cooked oysters in a clean shallow container and refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below, within two hours, for another dish.
Step 6
Strain all the oyster broth into a clean saucepan. Add the measured one gill of freshly prepared tomato sauce and boil for five minutes. Divide the hot broth among six cups sized to hold the actual batch and serve immediately.
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