Saturday, June 1, 2013

Tomatoes on Toast

I'll let you in on my newest breakfast addiction... Sauteed tomatoes on toast. Now this probably sounds pretty boring, simple, and standard, but every time I make this I like to play around and try different twists on the flavour combination.

My first introduction to this was through a friend who made this for brunch one day in the summer, when tomatoes were at their best! His style was classic truss tomato, garlic, fresh basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, and sourdough toast, and I was amazed at how something so simple could be so flavourful! I was hooked. Since that time I've made this about 10 times, sometimes the classic way, sometimes a bit different.
The basic recipe is as follows.

~2 Medium-sized Tomatoes per person, chopped to your preferred size
1-2 Garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped up. Use more or less depending on how garlicky you like it!
1-2 Tablespoons of good quality Olive Oil
Handful of Fresh Basil, torn up into shreds (you can do this by hand or quickly with a knife)
Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper to taste.

1. Heat oil in a frying pan or sauce pan
2. Add garlic and saute until fragrant
3. Add tomatoes and stir so they don't stick to the bottom
4. Fry gently for a few minutes until they are heated through and some of the liquid has evaporated
5. Add basil, stir through, and take off the heat while you salt & pepper to taste!
6. Serve over toast

Here are some ideas for those of you interested in trying this awesomely easy and tasty brekky:

Switch up your tomatoes - This is fun especially in summer, when you can find heirloom tomatoes of all colours, shapes, and sizes at the fresh grocers (or your backyard!). For a burst of colour, try this breakfast with Black Russian tomatoes, or maybe Green Zebras... It also works with Cherry Tomatoes and if they're small enough you don't even need to chop them up!

Switch up your bread - Try Wholemeal, Sourdough, Multigrain, Rye, Olive, Gluten Free, or any other interesting bread you can find! Even Naan works great when you spice the tomatoes in an Indian style. Which leads me to...

Switch up your spices - Generous lashings of salt and pepper are a must in my opinion, but after that it's up to you to play around. Here are some I like:

-Indian style- Try Curry Powder on the tomatoes and stir in some fresh Coriander just before serving over Naan bread (garlic, herb, or regular).
-Or for a Mexican morning, maybe some taco seasoning/chili powder/chipotle powder in your tomatoes, also with fresh coriander. Serve on toast smeared with avocado!
-Feeling the need for protein? Stir through some cannellini/white beans or butter beans, with lots of fresh basil. Or top your toast with baked beans before adding the tomatoes over them.
-No fresh basil around? Stir some pesto through your tomatoes (I use homemade, or just frozen chopped basil that I discovered at Aldi), and top your tomatoes with toasted pinenuts.
-Sprinkle Nutritional Yeast over any of these combinations for a slightly cheesy taste!

Enjoy!