If you are lucky enough to still have some tomatoes in your garden, or to spy them at farmers’ markets, grab them for a simple vegetable accompaniment that’ll go with anything. Think Middle Eastern dishes, roasts, barbecues, big breakfasts …
But you want BIG tomatoes for this, ugly ones, fat ones, misshapen ones, tomatoes with character!
Cut them in half, put them in a shallow ovenproof dish lined with baking (parchment) paper (the paper is to make washing up easier, and so the juices don’t scorch) and sprinkle with crushed coriander seeds, thyme and lemon peel. Drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil and season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast them off for about 30 minutes in a hot oven (220°C/425°F) lowering the temperature if they start spitting at you and getting out of control. The thing is you want them to collapse a bit, brown a bit and for the liquidy juices to evaporate to concentrate the sweetness. Serve hot, hottish or at room temperature.
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