RED HOT GO

If there’s a tray bake you need to try, it’s Yotam Ottolenghi’s tomato-and-onion number. Baked (then grilled) vegies are topped with fiery harissa pine nuts, delivering big, bold flavours – another all-round winner from the top chef.

CHARRED TOMATOES & ONIONS WITH FETA-HARISSA PINE NUTS SERVES 4

100ml extra virgin olive oil

450g (approx 2 large) red onions, cut

through the core into 8 wedges

2 red capsicums (seeds and stems

removed), cut into 3cm pieces 2 jalapeños, cut into 1cm-thick rounds,

stems discarded

1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally

1.5 kg plum tomatoes

1/2 cup (20g) roughly chopped coriander,

plus 1 tbs extra, to serve

1 tbs coriander seeds

120g cherry tomatoes, vine attached 120g Greek feta, roughly crumbled into

large chunks

1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts

1/2 tbs Tunisian harissa paste

Preheat the oven to 245°C.

Bring a large pot of water to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Place 2 tbs oil, onion, capsicum, jalapeño and garlic in a large 26cm x 34cm roasting pan and give everything a good stir. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring 2-3 times, or until softened and well charred. Remove the garlic halves and use a small knife to remove the cloves, adding them back into the roasting pan and discarding the skins.

Meanwhile, use a small knife to remove the core from the plum tomatoes and then carve a small X mark across the bottom of each tomato. Add half the plum tomatoes to the simmering water and blanch just until the skins begin to pull away from the flesh, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the plum tomatoes to a large colander to drain, then repeat with the remaining plum tomatoes. Once cool enough to handle, peel the plum tomatoes, discarding the skins, then roughly chop the flesh, seeds and all. Add the plum tomatoes, coriander, coriander seeds and 13/4 tsp salt to the roasting pan and use the back of a large spoon to mash everything together, breaking up the garlic and jalapeño a little.

Return to the oven for another 35 minutes, stirring twice throughout, or until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture has thickened. Remove from the oven and set the oven to the grill setting.

Top the charred vegetables with the cherry tomatoes and feta and drizzle with 1 tbs oil. Return to the oven on the middle rack and grill until the feta and cherry tomatoes have taken on some colour, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tbs oil in a small frypan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pine nuts and cook until golden, shaking the pan frequently,

1-2 minutes. Carefully stir in the harissa, then transfer to a small bowl.

When ready to serve, spoon the harissa pine nuts all over the vegetables and sprinkle with extra coriander to serve.