5 medium clove garlic, smashed, peeled and minced
2½ teaspoons sweet paprika or sweet smoky paprika
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
Large pinch of cayenne
4 teaspoons olive oil
2¼ pounds tomatoes, skinned and cored, see instructions if you need them
¼ cup packed chopped cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon, see photos if you need them
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt and more to taste
4 stalks celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons water, if needed
1. In a small saucepan, stir together the garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne and olive oil. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Place the skinned tomatoes, pulling them apart a bit with your hands, in a food processor and whirl until smooth. Drain through a large sieve into a good-sized bowl to remove as many of the seeds as possible. Stir the liquid in the sieve with a rubber spatula until it is as dry as possible and you’ve extracted as much of the tomato goodness as you can, leaving the seeds behind. Occasionally wipe the back of the sieve with your spatula to release more of the tomato goodness.
3. Stir in the cooked spice mixture, cilantro, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, salt, celery and water, if necessary. Add more salt as desired.
4. Refrigerate until cold. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.
4-6 servings depending on the size of the bowls
Adapted from Amanda Hesser’s article in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, July 2009; Barbara Kafka wrote the original article for The Times in 1991
