Roasted Tomatoes on Toast
Photo by: Claudia Alexander
At our house we eat cherry tomatoes every day at the moment— not that I am complaining, but variation can be a problem. They are wonderful halved and fried alongside an egg for breakfast, tossed in a salad or sandwich for lunch, and for dinner as a side platter with balsamic vinaigrette. The recipe below is another version on bruschetta but instead of roasting the bread you can just toast it. Roasting the tomatoes does take a bit more time but it intensifies the flavor. Using a very thick yogurt keeps the toast from becoming soggy and soaks up the tomato juices so they actually make it to your mouth instead of spilling into your lap. If you roast the tomatoes in the morning and let them sit to cool you they’ll be ready for lunch. This is also great with a glass of rosé out in the shade of that tree in your backyard.
Photo by: Claudia Alexander
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 350°
Roasted Tomatoes:
3 pints cherry tomatoes
2 small cloves of garlic sliced
¼ cup of olive oil –scant
large handful of fresh herbs
salt and pepper to taste
Halve the big cherry tomatoes but leave the smaller ones whole. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss with herbs, sliced garlic, salt and pepper. Lightly sprinkle ½ the olive oil over them. Make sure there is oil on all the tomatoes but you don’t want them saturated. Roast them for about 45 minutes, tossing them with a spatula halfway through. Pull them out of the oven and let them cool.
Yogurt topping:
1 ½ cups whole milk yogurt (I use Siggi’s—see above)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh herbs
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
a pinch of kosher salt
While the tomatoes are cooking make the yogurt spread. In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients and mix to combine. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you want. Keep them in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.
Toast:
4-6 thick slices of bread such as sourdough, ciabatta, or country loaf
whole peeled garlic clove (for rubbing the toasts)
Assembly:
Take the yogurt out of the fridge and set it on the counter. It will warm up a bit but will also melt on the toast. Put the slices of bread in your toaster. When they are toasted, rub them with the clove of garlic on one side. Add a couple of tablespoons of the herbed yogurt sauce, and then top with the tomatoes — repeat!
Serves 4
Adapted from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen
Photo by Claudia Alexander