Plump Roasted Tomatoes with Spiced White Bean Purée
When ripe tomatoes are this abundant, I like to play with different preparations. I love the subtle differences amongst the various varieties and enjoy playing with dishes to bring out their best. I tend to stockpile “cherry” tomatoes as they get eaten by hand right from the counter and are readily tossed in salads, but slow roasting them just until plump (I love that word) amplifies their natural sweetness and intensifies their mouthwatering flavor. They pair brilliantly with an array of pantry staples: grains, pasta, beans, porridge, tinned fish, bread, crackers… Here I’ve piled them on top of a creamy white bean purée (recipe below). I like to cook up as many as I can so I have excess to freeze so they may be enjoyed late into Fall.
Recipe-
Whole Roasted Tomatoes with Butter (White Bean) Here’s how it goes:
notes-
•of you don’t care for the spiced oil, add some fresh rosemary to the bean purée and drizzle with a little extra olive oil and garnish with another small sprig of Rosemary
•as always, adjust quantities to suit your taste and
ingredienst-
1/4+ cup olive oil, divided
2+ pints assorted “cherry” tomatoes
1 tsp each Cumin and Coriander Seeds
Chili flakes
1-15 oz can butter or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Fresh thyme and/or oregano
1-2 anchovy filets (optional, only if you hate them)
Splash cider vinegar (or fresh lemon if using rosemary)
Fresh basil
method-
Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Lightly coat an assortment of small tomatoes with about 1 Tbs of the olive oil. Season with flaky sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a few sprigs of thyme and/or oregano (add a few garlic cloves or shallots if you like) Spread across baking sheet and cook for about 25 minutes, until tomatoes swell and the smaller ones just begin to burst. Don’t overcook to keep them plump. While they’re in the oven, in a small sauce pan, toast cumin and coriander seeds over medium heat, just until fragrant. Add about 2 Tbs olive oil and a pinch of chili flakes and swirl to heat and scent oil. Remove from heat and set aside. Add beans, remaining olive oil a splash of cider vinegar, 1 or 2 chopped anchovy fillets, flaky sea salt and fresh ground pepper to a food processor or high speed blender. Purée until smooth. Spread purée on a serving dish and top with warm roasted tomatoes and spiced oil. I like to add an additional pinch of smokey chili flakes and some fresh basil leaves (here purple and green). Enjoy!
