Roasted Tomatoes with Fennel Seeds

I’ve been picking my garden tomatoes green to get in before the pheasants, blackbirds and wasps have their way with them. It has worked, well, at least, it was working until the plants got wiped out by Cyclone Dovi. Let green tomatoes ripen at room temperature, but not in direct sunlight or they’ll heat up and boil in their skins. It can take a couple of days for the colour to change. I like these big meaty tomatoes while they are still a little green for salads, and riper red for cooking. I had heaps that were damaged so I cut out the bad bits – peeling away skin where I could – chopped them coarsely and put them in pottles in the freezer. They’ll be good for cooking with during winter.

To roast large tomatoes, cut in half around the waist, lay them in a lined tray cut side up, sprinkle with sea salt, caster (superfine granulated) sugar, black pepper, and in this case, a smattering of fennel seeds. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and cook for about 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 210°C (410°F). The tomatoes will be tender, and the juices sweet and syrupy.