Roasted Tomatoes & Burrata
I just fell in love with Caprese Salad all over again. Yes. We have been enjoying this perfect flavor combination of the classical Tomato + Mozzarella + Basil for long, very long, super long years. We rejoiced when the tomatoes were homegrown or when we did not ruin our backyard-basil plant, surviving in harsh weather.
Enter old wrinkled tomatoes. Just a few sad tomatoes; not enough to make a sauce and way too old to camouflage into any raw preparation. I am NOT going to throw them away. Let’s broil them like no one is watching! Take some aluminum foil, crumble it a little bit, to make it uneven, then place it on baking sheet. Cut the tomatoes in half. The texture of the aluminum foil will allow you to place the tomato halves, cut side up, in a secure way. Find small dents and waves to securely position the tomato. (Details that help!)... Sprinkle the tomatoes with your favorite salt (I use fleur de sel) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then under the broiler sun it goes. Do I need to mention that you have to turn the broiler on? Yeah, turn the broiler setting to medium. Keep an attentive eye on them. You can feel it is going to be irresistibly pretty. The tomato skin retracts just a little bit, and the meat starts to caramelize and brown in small spots. Yes! It’s promising. Close the oven door, let the broiler continue its magic. Open again. Look. Hmmmm. They can use just a liiiiitle more. Close. Stand still, one hand armed with the oven mitten on. You need to be ready for a swift SOS mission to retrieve the roasted tomato halves. You learned that broiling can lead to burning in a flash. Voila! Oh lala! They are sooooo pretty. Now what? Ah! Yes,... Mozzarella. Mamma Mia. Let the tomato cool down for a few minutes (or completely). Serve with some Mozzarella Burrata generously cut to show its sexy, creamy texture. You can revamp your beloved salad with some garlic chips, fresh oregano (homegrown youhou!), a pinch of fleur de sel, black pepper, and a generous drizzle of spicy extra virgin olive oil.
This new roasted tomato version of the salad feels like a unified and harmonious dish. The magic must be in the caramelization of the tomatoes that amplifies the richness of the aromas with an extra oozy dimension. This dish is just overflowing with pleasure. The kind of comfort we all so desperately crave in 2020. No need to socially distance from this dish. Touching, kissing and eating allowed! HA! Don’t forget the bread, you know, for good balance and awesome company.
