Insalata di pomodori, mozzarella e basilico di Angela Hartnett

Ingredienti

• 8 plum tomatoes
• 8 cherry tomatoes halved
• picked from 6 sprigs thyme leaves
• (good quality) olive oil
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 clove garlic sliced
• 2 × 125g balls buffalo mozzarella sliced
• a small bunch basil

Preparazione

1. 1

   To prepare the plum tomatoes, make a little incision with a sharp knife in the top of each one. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling salted water for 10 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of iced water – this will make the skins easier to remove. Peel and cut in half lengthways. Remove all the seeds with a teaspoon.

2. 2

   Heat the oven to 120c/fan 100c/gas mark ½. Drizzle the base of a shallow roasting tin big enough to hold all of the tomatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, season and sprinkle in half the sugar. Put the plum and cherry tomatoes in the tin, cut-side up, in one layer. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Scatter the thyme leaves and garlic slices over and around the tomatoes.

3. 3

   Bake for 1-2 hours until the tomatoes begin to shrivel up. Halfway through the cooking time, turn the plum tomatoes over and remove the cherry tomatoes.

4. 4

   Toss the cooked tomatoes with the mozzarella and basil, and check the seasoning. Serve on individual plates with a drizzle of olive oil.