Ottolenghi tomatoes

You’ve got to hand it to Ottolenghi—they know how to do salads.

When it comes to creative salad-making I have the culinary equivalent of writers’ block. I can’t ever get beyond green leaves with halved tomatoes. If I’m feeling particularly adventurous I’ll add some spring onions or some grilled courgettes. Salad making really isn’t my forte though.

So, I thought I’d have a go at this recipe for grilled tomatoes that contains lots of exciting ingredients which I wouldn’t ever think of in the context of a salad. I can report that it was absolutely delicious – especially when the juices were mopped up with a bit of baguette.

(Thank you, Guardian website for posting Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe.)

Baked tomatoes

2 tbsp double cream
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
½ sprig rosemary, finely chopped
1½ tbsp olive oil
50g finely grated parmesan
900g top-notch tomatoes of as many colours and sizes as you can get
1 small French baguette
2 tbsp picked oregano leaves

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. In a small bowl, mix the cream, anchovies, sugar, garlic, rosemary, oil and a third of the cheese.

Cut larger tomatoes widthways into 1.5cm slices and halve smaller ones (Nb. I only had cherry tomatoes - while variation is nice, it’s not necessary). Put them in a bowl and pour in the cream mix. Gently combine with your hands, so the tomatoes are coated, then place cut side up in an ovenproof dish; bake for 15-20 minutes, until their edges start to crisp.

Once the tomatoes are starting to look like they’re almost done, sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the oregano, and bake for seven minutes more, until the cheese has melted. Remove, set aside for 20-30 minutes (the flavour intensifies). Serve, and mop up the juice with baguette - a bit like delicious, salty dripping.