Things to do with sh*t tomatoes
I give you two options to use up shit tomatoes, taken from Vanja van der Leeden's Italopop and Tim Anderson's Microwave Meals, with assorted toppings.
Equipment
- Oven for Vanja's method
- (stick) blender id.
- Microwave for Tim's method
- Frying pan both (sorry Tim, I am not putting the pinenuts in the microwave)
Ingredients
- 250 g - 8 oz cherry or baby plum tomatoes halved
- crusty bread to serve
For Vanja's tomatoes
- 2-3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 50 ml - vergine olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- peel of 1/4 lemon avoid the bitter white pith and be sure to get an organic lemon or scrub it very well before peeling
For Vanja's topping
- 50 gr - old bread
- 1/4 t fennel seed
- 1/4 t chili flakes
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 bufffalo mozzarella balls buffalo really is nicer, or just not the cheapest mozzarella you can find
- basil leaves to taste
For Tim's tomatoes
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- 1 pinch dried oregano
- 1 pinch salt Tim writes 'a good pinch', so don't be stingy
For Tim's topping
- 20 g - 1/8 c pine nuts seems like a lot but very necessary
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 burrata mozzarella works too, drained either way
- generous pinches sea salt salt all the things!
- shichimi togarashi or similar chili blend, to taste
Instructions
For Vanja's tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 160°C -320°F on the convection setting or 180°C - 350°F for a conventional oven.
- Place the 250 g - 8 oz of halved cherry tomatoes on a large baking tray. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, add 2-3 thinly sliced cloves of garlic and pour over 2 T of olive oil. Add the peel of 1/4 of a lemon, avoiding the bitter white pith and shake the tray to ensure everything is covered in oil.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until the tomatoes start to look scorched but are still intact.
For Tim's tomatoes
- Toss 250 g - 8 oz halved cherry tomatoes in a small microwave proof bowl with 2 T olive oil, a good pinch of salt and 1 thinly sliced clove of garlic.
- Place in your microwave on high for 1 1/2 minute. Toss and microwave on high for another 1 1/2 minutes before leaving to cool first on your kitchen counter and then in the fridge.
For Vanja's topping
- Grind down 50 gr - OZ of stale bread with 1 T olive oil, 1/4 t fennelseed and 1/4 t chili flakes with a stick blender before frying the bread crumbs to a crisp in a dry frying pan.
For Tim's topping
- Brown 20 g - 1/8 c pine nuts with a pinch of salt in a dry frying pan. Be sure to stay close because they can catch fast if you're not careful. Leave to cool.
To serve
- Place the tomatoes on a large plate, including the juices, and top with either mozzarrella or burrata. Sprinkle over the bread crumbs and some basil leaves, or the pine nuts and some shichimi togarashi to taste, and serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- I have halved Vanja's recipe so the end quantities are roughly the same.
- I would say this portion serves 2 as a side or starter, if you double it it'll serve 4 as a starter, side or part of a mezze spread, if you use a smaller burrata or mozzarella it can serve 1 for lunch as it did me.
- Obviously you can serve Tim's topping with Vanja's tomatoes and vice versa.
- If you want to use Tim's tomatoes warm, please leave them to cool for at least 5-10 minutes as microwaved food can be very hot.
- Tim's tomatoes also make a delicious quick pasta sauce, you can of course add more flavorings if needed and grate over some parm and serve with some fresh basil for example. Obviously Vanja's does too but it won't be as quick.