Cherry Tomato Gratin
There are still just enough cherry tomatoes around to make posting this recipe for Michelle worth while. It is an adaptation of a recipe from a book called "The Vegetarian Table: France". What's really great about this recipe is that you can use a ton of your cherry tomatoes all at once and you don't have to cut them. Just wash and de-stem them. This recipe is easy, quick, and so good. The only problem I can find with it is that it doesn't photograph well.
Ingredients:cherry tomatoes (enough to fill a small to medium casserole dish half way)
ricotta (appx. 15 oz, or however much you get from making one batch of your own)
1 egg
splash of milk or cream
6-10 big basil leaves, julienned
a few grinds of nutmeg (or a few shakes)*
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling
Method:Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Put your washed and stemmed cherry tomatoes in your favorite gratin dish. Grind some fresh pepper on them, and sprinkle some salt on them too. Drizzle a little olive oil on them, you don't need much, maybe just a tablespoon or two.
In a medium sized bowl combine your ricotta, the egg, the splash of milk (cream if you like food richer), the basil, and the nutmeg. I always add freshly ground pepper and about 1/2 tsp of salt to the ricotta. If it's home made you may wish to add a little more. Mix the ingredients together well.
Spoon the ricotta over the tomatoes. Smooth it out so it's all covered. You may add grated Parmesan to the top if you like. I rarely remember to add Parmesan, but it's good that way. Cook for 15 or 20 minutes. You want it to cook only long enough to set the ricotta and make the tomatoes hot. If you cook it too long the tomatoes will burst. It will still be delicious, but much funkier looking. What's particularly pleasing about this recipe is how the tomatoes burst their juices in your mouth and how the ricotta adds just the right note of creaminess to the tomato tang.
This is a very healthy dish to eat. You can use low fat ricotta (or nonfat) but be aware that the nonfat has a considerably different texture.
*As strange as I think it is, some people hate nutmeg. If you don't like it, just omit it. But I promise you, it's better with the nutmeg.
In a medium sized bowl combine your ricotta, the egg, the splash of milk (cream if you like food richer), the basil, and the nutmeg. I always add freshly ground pepper and about 1/2 tsp of salt to the ricotta. If it's home made you may wish to add a little more. Mix the ingredients together well.
Spoon the ricotta over the tomatoes. Smooth it out so it's all covered. You may add grated Parmesan to the top if you like. I rarely remember to add Parmesan, but it's good that way. Cook for 15 or 20 minutes. You want it to cook only long enough to set the ricotta and make the tomatoes hot. If you cook it too long the tomatoes will burst. It will still be delicious, but much funkier looking. What's particularly pleasing about this recipe is how the tomatoes burst their juices in your mouth and how the ricotta adds just the right note of creaminess to the tomato tang.
This is a very healthy dish to eat. You can use low fat ricotta (or nonfat) but be aware that the nonfat has a considerably different texture.
*As strange as I think it is, some people hate nutmeg. If you don't like it, just omit it. But I promise you, it's better with the nutmeg.
Labels: recipe