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, (I used Thai chilies) cut into 0.5cm-thick rounds (discard the seeds for less heat)
    4 garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
  • 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin julienne strips
  • 20g coriander stalks, cut into 4cm-long lengths, plus 5g 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:

  1. Turn your oven broiler to about 500 degrees F.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. When you are ready to serve, arrange the tomato slices on a larg

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