When I was a child one of my favourite foods in the whole wide world was tomatoes (plum, tinned) on toast. I would have eaten it every day if I’d been allowed.
These roasted tomatoes are the grown-up version of tomatoes on toast. Easy to make as a light dinner and full of wonderful, tomato flavour. Serving the roasted tomatoes with a good crusty bread is a must. Don’t get rubbish bread as you need it to mop up all the tomato juice!
What you need:
- Salad or plum tomatoes, quartered
- Red onions, peeled and quartered
- Garlic cloves, peeled
- Fresh basil leaves, torn
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh, crusty bread to serve
What to do:
Put the tomatoes, onions, basil leaves and garlic into a roasting dish. Drizzle generously with the olive oil, add salt and pepper then give a good mix to make sure the vegetables are coated in the oil.
Put in the oven and cook on a high heat setting for about 20 minutes. Serve with the mandatory crusty bread!
I live near the sea in the south of England, but I dream of living in the country with sheep and cows for neighbours. I write, blog, craft, and feed my terrible tarot addiction. I love the magical, mystical and spiritual side of life, and believe everyone should let their inner magical sparkle shine!
Roasted tomatoes are a little bit of heaven
Cheers!
Great idea. i’ll be using this recipe, I haven’t much luck recently cooking with ricotta. This came at the right moment. Thanks.
Ha! Tomatoes on toast. That was one of my childhood addictions too!
OH YUMM…!!! This sounds *KILLER*, Which means good, of course! I must and WILL try this week!! Thanks, Lyn!
…I noticed many years ago that the Brits seem to have a special love for tomatoes. I knew an English man who, after he came over to Florida, was a bartender for a while, and one day while in the lounge he worked in, I saw him ask his then-wife if she could bring him some lunch. I expected a hamburger or some such, but it was simpler than that…I think just a chunk of cheese with bread, some olives or a pickle or even some onion, and…definitely…tomatoes. Not cooked, just raw. And he drank it with beer. (Isn't that called a "ploughman's lunch", now that I think of it?) The tomatoes particularly remained in my memory, as normally Americans only ask for them in particular when ordering what we call a "dressed" sandwich, which usually has meat in it. Of course, the tomato-love shows up very clearly in British hearty breakfasts, which not only have eggs and toast or crumpets and meats (bacon and sausage *and* kidneys, *ugh*!!) and potatoes and mushrooms and…tomatoes…broiled, this time.
I am a longtime fan of *mushrooms* on toast, myself. Sauteed with scallion, a bit of dried thyme (or other herb), perhaps some fresh parsley. Canned mushrooms work in a pinch.
My sister has long had a fabulous recipe for *stuffed* toms. with garlic, scallions, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, a little olive oil, mixed with tomato pulp, then put into hollowed-out t. shells…then baked…they are WONDERFUL. <3
England must have particularly cool-hardy tomato varieties…I understand that your summers are rarely hot!
Did you have the mushrooms on toast for dinner, then? Were they good? :]
Oh, Lyn, after I posted the above comment, I looked for "images of ploughman's lunch". Dozens of pictures came up – each a different take on the concept – with all the things I mentioned represented, plus a lot more! – but every last one of the individual combos looked super good!!! Have decided that this is going to be my default lunch or quick meal. Some of the items can last quite a while, once purchased…as in pickles and olives and pickled onions and *marinated mushrooms* (I'm a huge mushroom fan). Fresh tomatoes are definitely perishable, but bread (if refrigerated) lasts much longer, and refrigerated cheese has pretty good longevity too (except around *me*, ha!!).
Speaking again of tomatoes (BTW, did you know that in earlier times – I think the Middle Ages – they were known as "love apples"? They also were considered poisonous at one time. Supposedly any of the foods in the nightshade family [which also includes eggplant, and, I think, bell pepper] were [considered] poisonous. Some people still don't care to eat the nightshades..that's okay…that just leaves MORE for the rest of us!! X}) – do you like simple tomato sandwiches? They are an old Southern tradition here: salted (can be peppered too) tomato slices on white bread with mayonnaise. If they're being served at a tea or luncheon, usually the crusts are removed. My version is: whole wheat or multi-grain bread, spread with Hellman's mayonnaise, crusts intact, tomatoes salted and peppered, with (preferably fresh) basil atop the toms. Add side garnishes as desired! x