Marinated Feta With Spice-Roasted Tomatoes and Grapefruit
40 minutes. Serves 4.
Tomatoes and grapefruit may appear to be seasonally inappropriate bedfellows, but here in L.A., we’re blessed with the bounty of both throughout the winter months. The combination is nothing short of Shakespearean: a love match for the ages.
SPICE-ROASTED TOMATOES
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1⁄3 cup olive oil
1 1⁄2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon ground fennel
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
ASSEMBLY
1 grapefruit
1 Kismet’s Marinated Feta
1⁄4 cup tarragon leaves
1 Roast the tomatoes: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, Aleppo pepper, salt, coriander, black pepper, fennel and cloves and toss to coat. Transfer to a small ovenproof dish, ideally in a single layer, and roast, stirring as needed to avoid burning, until the tomatoes are blistered but maintain some structure, 15 to 20 minutes.
2 Let the tomatoes cool to room temperature, then toss to coat in the spices and oil from the bottom of the pan — you want all of the juices. Transfer to a small bowl, add the vinegar and pomegranate molasses, and mix to combine.
3 Supreme the grapefruit: Cut the peel and white pith away from the grapefruit with a sharp knife, then cut segments away from between the membranes around the core. Squeeze the juice from the core into the bowl with the segments and discard the squeezed-out bits. (You can spoon a little of the juice along with the segments to the final dish, or enjoy a little invigorating behind-the-scenes shot of grapefruit juice.)
4 Spoon the marinated feta onto a serving dish. Arrange the roasted tomatoes (and any accumulated juices) and the grapefruit segments over the feta, and top with the tarragon.
Make Ahead The roasted tomatoes hold well in the fridge for up to four days.
From “Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes” (Clarkson Potter) by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson.