Grilled Beefsteak tomatoes with chili, garlic and ginger
Eat these with good, country-style bread to mop up the oil. They can be bulked up into a punchy starter with the addition of some burrata or mozzarella, or serve for brunch alongside scrambled eggs.
- Yield:
- 4 servings
- Category:
- Vegetables
- Cuisine:
- Isreali
INGREDIENTS:
- 75ml olive oil
- 2 long red chilies, cut into 0.5cm-thick rounds or flakes of hot peppers
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 4 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin julienne strips
- 20g coriander stalks, cut into 4 cm-long lengths, plus 5 grams coriander leaves, to garnish
- 1.1kg beef tomatoes (ie, 4-5 tomatoes), cut width ways into 1cm-thick rounds
- Flaked sea salt and black pepper
- 1½ tsp black mustard seeds, lightly toasted
DIRECTIONS:
- Turn your oven broiler to about 500 degrees F.
- Heat the oil in a medium pan on a medium heat, then gently fry the chili, garlic and ginger for five minutes, stirring every once in a while, until the garlic is just starting to brown. Add the coriander stalks and fry for a minute or two more, until the garlic is a light golden-brown and the chili aromatic, then transfer the solids to a plate with a slotted spoon, to stop them cooking.
- Arrange the tomato slices on a 30cm x 40cm baking tray, making sure they do not overlap, then brush with two tablespoons of the aromatic oil. Sprinkle with a teaspoon and a half of salt and a generous grind of pepper, then position the tray about 5cm below the heat source and broil for 10-12 minutes, until the tomatoes have started to brown. Remove; pour over most of the remaining oil and the reserved fried aromatics, and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
- When you are ready to serve, arrange the tomato slices on a large plate, overlapping them slightly. Scatter with the cilantro leaves and mustard seeds ang pour anyk lik and juices remaining in the pan on top.