HOT, CHARRED CHERRY TOMATOES WITH COLD YOGURT

Yotam Ottolenghi’s phenomenal restaurants and gorgeous cookbooks have made him an icon of the global food world. But until now, his recipes were sometimes ... involved. Mysterious ingredients and multiple steps may be fine for chefs, not so much for home cooks. Ottolenghi Simple addresses that very problem. Het set himself some rules: No more than 10 ingredients and no more than 30 minutes of preparation time. These hot juicy tomatoes with cold yogurt sauce check all the boxes. Get plenty of crusty sourdough or focaccia to mop it all up. 12 ¼ oz/350g cherry tomatoes

■ 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil

■

¾ tsp (4 mL) cumin seeds

■

½ tsp (2.5 mL) light brown

■ sugar

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

■ 3 thyme sprigs

■

6 oregano sprigs: 3 sprigs left

■ whole and the rest stemmed, to serve

1 lemon

■

Flaked sea salt and black pepper

■ 1⅔ cups (350 g) cold Greekstyle

■ yogurt

1 tsp (5 mL) Urfa chili flakes (or ■ ½ tsp other crushed red pepper flakes)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F (220°C. Finely shave the skin of on half the lemon to get 3 strips, then finely grate the other ½ to get 1 tsp zest. Set aside.

2. Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl with olive oil, cumin, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano sprigs, lemon strips, ½ tsp of flaked salt, and a good grind of pepper. Mix to combine, then transfer to a baking sheet. Place the sheet about 2 inches (5 cm) beneath the broiler and roast for 20 minutes. Turn oven to the broil setting and broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blacken on top.

3. Combine yogurt with lemon zest and ¼ tsp of flaked salt. Once the tomatoes are ready, spread chilled yogurt on a platter, creating a dip in it with the back of a spoon. Spoon the hot tomatoes on top, along with their juices, lemon strips, garlic, and herbs, and finish with the oregano leaves and chili flakes. Serve at once.

Makes: 4 servings as a starter