I’m sure we are not the only ones to have tomatoes coming from every direction. They never taste better than when picked fresh from the garden. Here are a couple of ideas that are easy and tasty.
Roasted tomatoes with breadcrumbs, thyme and garlic
Cut your tomatoes in half lengthways and lay in a roasting pan lined with baking paper (this is not essential but makes for easier washing up later!). Sprinkle with sea salt and grind over some black pepper. Mix a couple of handfuls of breadcrumbs (I whizzed them up in the blender) with the leaves picked off a couple of big sprigs of fresh thyme, finely chop a couple of cloves of garlic and mix them all together.
Press a teaspoon of your herby garlicky crumbs onto each tomato half and drizzle with oil
Pat down a teaspoon of the mixture on the top of each tomato half, drizzle with decent olive oil and pop in the oven for about half an hour at 190°C (374°F) until crispy and brown. These are delicious served warm with any grilled meat or on their own as an appetizer.
Crunchy on top and soft underneath. The tomato juices mix with the herbs to make a really tasty accompaniment to grilled meats
Spicy tomato dressing that doubles up as a chilled summer soup!
Take 6 big ripe tomatoes, chop coarsely and put in the blender. Add some fresh basil (a good handful), sea salt, ground black pepper, a pinch of sugar, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar and 5 drops of tabasco (less if you don’t like a touch of heat). Blitz to a fine purée and then pass through a sieve. Chill.
You can either serve this as a dressing in which case add olive oil (to taste) or dilute with a little cold water, add a couple of ice cubes and serve as a chilled soup dressed with a drizzle of good olive oil, a grind of pepper and a sprig of basil.
We diluted with a little cold water and served as a chilled summer soup on a hot day. The tabasco gives it a kick and it’s perfect served with a glass of rosé!
