Slow-roasted cherry tomatoes

This deliciously simple recipe can be served warm or at room temperature with fish, meat or salads. The tomatoes are great with a BBQ and are also delicious on their own or as a topping for bruschetta — as pictured. Leftovers make a great pasta sauce.

Serves 4-6 Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 1 hr 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

800g cherry tomatoes

1 head of organic garlic plus 1 extra clove

½ tsp grated ginger

5-6 leaves fresh basil (torn into shreds) plus small ones to decorate

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5-6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Drizzle of balsamic glaze/ vinegar

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 220°C (fan) and line an large oven tray with baking parchment.

Wash the tomatoes, cut them in half and roughly squeeze them to remove most of their seeds and juice. You can keep that and drink it.

Rinse the garlic head, cut off the top third horizontally to expose all the cloves (keep the offcuts). This way the garlic head will cook without breaking and it will absorb all the juice from the tomato and oil. Once cooked it will be so soft that each clove will melt in your mouth. Peel the small tips of garlic cloves that you cut off the top, and crush them with the extra clove.

Mix the squeezed tomato halves in a bowl with the crushed garlic, the whole garlic head, the grated ginger, the torn basil leaves, a generous pinch of sea salt, black pepper and the extra- virgin olive oil. Stir well and spread in one layer on the lined oven tray, placing the garlic head open-side-up.

Roast for 20 minutes at 220°C until some tomatoes start to turn golden and any extra juice from the tomatoes mostly evaporates. Then turn the oven temperature down to 150°C and cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hr until deep golden. Add a drizzle of balsamic glaze/vinegar and give it a stir then leave for 20 minutes before removing from the oven.

Leave to cool slightly and scatter the remaining small basil leaves on top before serving.