Peta Mathias’ tomato tarte tatin
SERVES 6
350g short or flaky pastry 1kg very ripe Roma or acid-free tomatoes 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 12 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 heaped tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh basil leaves
1 Roll out the pastry into a large circle, about 26cm in diameter or a bit bigger. Put aside in the fridge.
2 Dip the whole tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, then peel. Slice in half lengthwise. 3 Heat the vinegar, sugar, oil and butter in a 26cm ovenproof frying pan. Boil for about 5 minutes or until the colour just starts to turn golden.
4 Place the garlic cloves in the pan then arrange the tomato halves in overlapping concentric circles on top. One layer so they will be close.
5 Cook on a medium heat for about half an hour until the tomatoes have caramelised a bit and the liquid has reduced.
6 Remove from the heat, sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, parmesan and basil.
7 Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
8 Lay the pastry on top of the contents of the frying pan.
9 Place frying pan in the oven and bake for half an hour or until the pastry is golden.
10 Place a plate over the frying pan and turn the pan upside down onto the plate so the tomatoes are on the top. Eat! Jane’s Netflix show Grace and Frankie (“Doesn’t everyone?”).
“She has a good sense of humour, and a great insight into herself and what it’s really like to be an older woman and still be working and contributing,” Peta says of the now 81-year-old actress.
As well as taking more culinary tours, Peta is also writing another book – “I don’t have time to write it, and I’m going to miss my deadline, and
I’m going to go to hell, because I’m a Catholic” – about a topic close to her heart. It’s a series of love stories, originally pitched to her as something sweet and “lovey-dovey”.
“Because of the way I am, my love stories are a lot more sharp and dramatic. They could be puppets.
They could be birds. It could be Greek mythology, it could be Maori mythology. But it has to be unusual.”
She’s at a point in both her life and career where she can pick the projects that interest her. “If you want to be successful, you have to know what motivates you. Money doesn’t motivate me: excitement, adventure and romance motivate me.” She’s not afraid of stepping into the unknown, something she advises more women to consider, particularly as New Year not only offers time to reflect, but also to plan ahead.
“If you’re holding onto things for security, then you’re never going to make the change,” she says. “You just have to do it; you just have to burn the bridge. For most people, that’s really scary. But once you’ve burnt the bridge, you think, ‘Oh, well, that was a bit uncomfortable but I’m okay.’ It doesn’t have to be massive: you could change your job, or redecorate your house. Or write, if you’ve always wanted to write. It just has to be true to the core of what you know is right, and what you would like to do. Because we all want to feel that we’re doing something meaningful, that we’re not just breathing in and out.”