La Romana Tomatoes Gratin Food

TOMATO GRATIN-POMODORI GRATINATI

Steps:

• PREPPING THE TOMATOES
• Slice the tomatoes in half. Carefully scoop out the tomatoes pulp making sure you don't puncture the tomatoes. Reserve the pulp in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt into the scooped out tomatoes. Line a rack with paper towels (or a baking pan)and place the tomatoes upside down (salted side down)on top of the paper towel to let the drain while you prep the stuffing.
• PREPARING THE STUFFING
• In a food processor or a blender, add some of the tomato pulp (about 1/2 cup of just the pulp, not the seeds). Add in the garlic, parsley leaves, basil, and 4 Tbsp of the olive oil. Give it a pulse until it's smooth. Add in the bread crumbs and bread (I had a sourdough loaf and used the inside of this really great bread). Add salt to taste (I added about 2 tsps).
• Line your baking dish with parchment paper. Drizzle a little olive oil in the parchment paper. Place the tomatoes in the dish and fill them with the stuffing. Drizzle the gratin stuffing of each tomato with a little more olive oil.
• BAKE TOMATO GRATIN
• Preheat oven to 350° Cover the baking dish with foil and place in the heated oven. Bake the tomato gratin for 30 mins. Remove the foil paper and bake about another 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Toss 2 pints grape tomatoes, 4 smashed garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 teaspoons fresh thyme in an ovenproof skillet; cook over medium-high heat until the tomatoes are soft, 8 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 cup each breadcrumbs and parmesan; sprinkle over the tomatoes and broil until golden, 3 minutes.

TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
• Arrange 4 slices of bread over the bottom of the baking dish, tearing to fit. Top with half the tomato slices. Sprinkle the garlic over the tomatoes, then sprinkle with half the chives. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble the goat cheese or feta over the chives and drizzle with half of the oil. Top with remaining bread slices, pressing firmly to fit. Arrange remaining tomato slices on top, then sprinkle with the remaining chives, the parmesan cheese, and additional pepper to taste. Drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden and the tomatoes are soft.

PROVENCAL CHERRY TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the tomatoes in a 9 x 13-inch ceramic dish. Add the 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss together. Spread the tomatoes evenly in the pan.
• Place the garlic, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely chopped. Add the bread cubes and process until the bread is in crumbs. Add the 1/4 cup of olive oil and pulse a few times to blend. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the tomatoes.
• Bake the gratin for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and the tomato juices are bubbling. Serve hot or warm.

BAKED COURGETTE & TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Sprinkle the courgettes with a pinch of sea salt flakes and lay them on a plate with another plate on top. Put a weight or tin on top to help push out the liquid.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 5 mins until thickened. Tear in the basil, if using, and season.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and oil a roasting dish. Combine the flours in a bowl. Pour away the water from the courgette. Dip the courgette slices into the egg, then into the flour, and arrange in a layer over the bottom of the dish. Top with a few slices of mozzarella, followed by a layer of the tomato sauce, and repeat with another layer of courgette, mozzarella and sauce. Toss the cheese and breadcrumbs together, then scatter over the top.
• Drizzle with a little more olive oil, and bake for 40-45 mins until golden and bubbling. Serve with a herby red onion salad and some bread to mop it up, if you like. Can be frozen for up to two months.

ROASTED ROMA TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix together the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, parsley, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper in a bowl, working the seasonings into the cavities of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes, cut sides up, on a baking sheet, and sprinkle each tomato with about 1 tablespoon of feta cheese.
• Bake the tomatoes in the preheated oven until cooked but still firm, about 15 minutes.

CRUNCHY BAKED TOMATO & ONION GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat half the oil in a pan and gently soften the onions and garlic for 15-20 mins until really soft and sticky but not browned. Put the onions, tomatoes (halve the large ones), herbs, sugar and breadcrumbs in a baking dish, season well and toss together.
• Drizzle with the remaining oil, scatter with a few more herb sprigs and bake for 1 hr until going golden on top and the tomatoes are juicy.

GNOCCHI ALLA ROMANA

Steps:

• Put the milk in a large saucepan with a pinch of salt and heat until you can see steam rising from it. Whisking all the time, sprinkle in the semolina in a slow and steady stream. The mixture will thicken and become hard to whisk. When all the semolina is in, lower the heat to medium-low and start to beat the mixture with a wooden spoon. Cook until it starts to leave the sides of the saucepan and is very thick. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in half the butter and all the cheese until they are completely incorporated, then add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring until they are mixed in too. Taste the mixture for seasoning.
• Spread the mixture out in a medium (about 30 x 20cm) baking tin to the thickness of about 1.5 cm, making it as smooth as possible. Cover and when cool, put in the fridge to firm up - it will take about 45 mins-1 hr.
• For the sauce, tip everything into a saucepan and season well. Simmer gently for 45 mins, stirring every so often. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
• Butter a gratin dish or baking dish (about 30cm wide). Using a pastry cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out rounds of the gnocchi mixture about 4cm across and lay them, slightly overlapping, in the dish. Melt the rest of the butter and pour it over the top, then scatter a generous amount of parmesan on top. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 mins or until the gnocchi are sizzling on top and golden.
• Take the onion out of the tomato sauce, check the sauce for seasoning and serve with the gnocchi.

JULIA CHILD'S PROVENçAL POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees and place a rack at the middle level. In a large saucepan, combine onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir to coat over low heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt. At a gentle simmer, cook uncovered until onions are softened and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown; lower the heat if necessary. When done, fold in tomatoes just until heated through. Set aside.
• In a small food processor or a mortar, add the anchovies - anywhere from 6 to 12 fillets, depending on their size and your taste. Add garlic, herbs and a dozen grinds of pepper. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil (or use the oil from the anchovy can, if you like). Crush or pulse together into a chunky paste, thinning with oil as needed to make a loose, fluid mixture.
• In a medium-size baking dish, spread a quarter of the onion-tomato mixture. On top, arrange half the potato slices, then half the anchovy mixture. Add half the remaining onion-tomato mixture. Build one more layer with remaining potato slices, anchovy mixture and onion-tomato mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil.
• If the dish is very full, place on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and have absorbed all of the juices in the bottom of the dish, 40 to 50 minutes. Test by tasting a bit of potato; it should be soft all the way through, with no raw taste. If the top is browning too fast, cover very loosely with a sheet of foil. If the top is not brown enough when the potatoes are cooked, broil briefly until deliciously glazed.
• Serve gratin hot or warm. Can be cooled and reheated later the same day, but do not refrigerate.