Tomato Blend (Èlò)

MY TOMATO BLEND (ÈLÒ)

So, today we will try something a bit different. We will prepare a base and not a meal. In my cooking classes, I always teach this in my very first class as I tend to refer to it a lot. It is my Tomato Blend.

What is this Tomato Blend?

Well, in Western Nigeria where I am from, we always use this Tomato Blend as the base for our stews and we call it èlò obè (meaning the blend that makes stews). Anyway, it comes in very handy in many recipes and I will referring to it in the next few recipes. It is the reason why our stews (some call them sauces), are thick instead of watery. 

Every Nigerian woman uses the combo of tomato, onions, red bell (tàtàsé) and habanero (ata rodo), to make their own special èlò (Tomato Blend) and it is so interesting how everyone's stew varies in taste based on how they are combined. Some use more tomatoes, others use more habaneros so their stews are hot and some use a lot more red bell (tàtàsé). Some use very little onion, while others use a lot. This is my own special combo and it is for making tomato-based stews. 

I like my stew to be thick and red and tomato paste is not what gives it that red color. It is the red bell and tomatoes that do the trick - in fact, red bells, act like a natural thickener. However, you may add so tomato paste and/or some Paprika (which is actually dried red bell peppers) to your stew, but we come to that in another class. 

For this weekend, all we are doing is making the tomato blend. 

You will need:

INGREDIENTS 

8 Tomatoes 

2 Large Red Bells

Onion Medium

2 Habaneros (Optional)

Wash the tomatoes, red bells and onions, and chop them into small pieces. Now, put the chopped pieces in the blender and add some water. The water should only cover a third of the chopped pieces in the blender. Now blend until it is very smooth. Next, pour the blended mix in a pot and add a dash of oil. The oil stops the mix from boiling over. Now, boil the blended mix until all the water is gone and all that remains is a thick paste. Switch off the heat and wait until it is cool and put the mix in a container, cover and put it in the fridge. 

The mix is excellent for making stews and many other recipes which we will now begin to eexplore from next Friday. 

Have a wonderful weekend 😀.