Ingredients
A loose combination of the following, in any quantity:
beautiful ripe tomatoes, the more the juicer
a handful of basil leaves
olive oil
pinch of salt
garlic clove(s)
(optional)
red onion
zucchini
other summer vegetables such as eggplant or capsicum, roughly sliced.
Summary
Summer tomatoes are really are coming through thick and fast here now. We’ve been enjoying plenty of cherry tomatoes and the delicious field tomatoes in boxes at the moment are grown by Craig and Shelley Heppel at their farm in Cockatoo, about an hour out of Melbourne. A pan of roasted tomatoes is simple enough, but why overlook it because of ease! With a pan of fresh summer tomatoes roasting in the oven, a delicious meal is essentially done. It’s an accompaniment for pasta or some pan fried fish, a lunch bruschetta, a juicy sauce for baked eggs or cover in a pot for a rich ratatouille.
The ever inspiring Nigel Slater would encourage you to throw a cup of couscous in the roasting pan with a splash of water, shake and cover – another great midweek meal. This week juicy roasted tomatoes will be stirred through my favourite pasta, with extra basil, a teaspoon of capers and some shaved parmesan.
Roasted Tomatoes (for everything)
Add whole small tomatoes and halved (or quartered) large tomatoes to a roasting pan with a good glug of olive oil, a pinch or two of salt, and a handful of fresh basil. If you have a zucchini that also need using, slice one and add that one in as well. An onion that has been roughly sliced and a couple of garlic cloves (sliced or left whole to roast) can go in too.
Place in an oven at 200˚c, for about 30 minutes, depending on your tomatoes. Once they are beautifully juicy they can be stirred straight through some drained pasta. Top with more basil, parmesan and some crunchy bread for mopping the juice.
