BAKED TOMATO GRATIN

SERVES 6 4 garlic cloves, halved

1 large red onion,

roughly chopped 8T extra-virgin olive oil

250g white sourdough or

ciabatta, torn into 6cm chunks 1.5kg large, very ripe tomatoes 1 glass of red wine

20g basil, chopped

25g Parmesan, grated

To serve Green salad

heat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/mark 6. Put the garlic, onion, 6T olive oil and 1t salt into the bottom of an earthenware or heavy baking dish (large enough to fit the rest of the ingredients) and bake for 15 minutes. While the onion is softening, put the torn bread onto a baking tray and place it on the lower shelf of the oven for 5 to 8 minutes to dry out slightly. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, removing any tough white cores. remove the onion dish from the oven and add the tomatoes, wine, bread and lots of black pepper, stirring everything together well. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring the mixture occasionally so the top doesn’t get too brown.

remove from the oven, add the remaining 2T olive oil and the basil, and stir well. Turn up the oven to 250°C/fan oven 230°C/mark 10, sprinkle the grated Parmesan all over the top and bake for another 10 minutes, so the top becomes crisp. serve in the dish, with a green salad – I like butterhead lettuce, dressed with a vinaigrette of chopped chives, rapeseed oil, dijon mustard, white-wine vinegar and sugar.