This is a delayed post, of something I made in summer. It is not really a recipe, but more a great way for using up stale bread (which is exactly why I made it). Sweet and salty, crunchy and warming, the anchovies melt down to give the tomatoes a deeply savoury taste. A simple twist on roasted vegetables.

For those living in colder climates where sweet juicy tomatoes are now but a distant memory, this one might have to wait for next year. If you gave into weakness or possible misplaced optimism and bought  the generally tasteless, watery tomatoes available in the UK at this time of the year, then this roasting treatment might help them along into something better (maybe add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar too for good measure and roast for a bit longer).

Change the veg to suit the season; portobello mushrooms, thin wedges of cabbage or cauliflower would work very well with possibly the addition of some single cream drizzled over the vegetables in  the tray 5 – 10 minutes before the end of cooking).

Ingredients

800g of tomatoes

8 anchovies

100g of breadcrumbs

1 fat clove of garlic

Olive oil

1 heaped tbsp of aromatic herbs  – rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage would all work well ‘

Method

• Set the oven to 180 C
• Rub a roasting tin with olive oil
• Thickly slice the tomatoes (if they are small tomatoes just halve them) and put them cut side up in the tin
• Finely chop a fat garlic clove (or 2 small ones) and mix with 50 ml of olive oil
• Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and toss them with the herbs, the anchovy fillets finely chopped, and 2 tbsp of olive oil mixing everything together well
• With a teaspoon, spoon a little of the olive oil and garlic onto each tomato and brush over the top
• Scatter all the tomatoes with the breadcrumb / anchovy mixture
• Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft and sizzling and the breadcrumbs are golden

Lovely served as part of a mezze or alongside a green salad as a light meal