Tomato, basil and prosciutto on sourdough (or, sort of BLT)

Hot summer’s day, vine ripened tomatoes, basil explosion in the vegetable garden and a loaf of fresh sourdough. All the elements were aligned in our house today to make this oh, so simple, but so delicious lunch. It’s nothing more than really lovely tomatoes gently roasted with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme squashed onto toasted sourdough. Sprinkle over some fresh basil leaves and a slice or two of paper thin prosciutto and it’s ready to eat. Miss 12 is a passionate tomato lover and declared that she could have eaten the whole pan of them with no difficulty at all. We remarked that if one is to have a long term food weakness, then tomatoes is a much healthier option than chocolate ice cream or cheese! Serve this up for your family for lunch and watch it disappear. I’ve given quantities for 2 people but it is easy to double or even triple the recipe to feed a crowd.

Serves 2

4 slices of a chewy sour dough bread
8 – 10 truss tomatoes (bigger than cherry tomatoes but smaller than a regular tomato was the size I used. If all you can find are cherry tomatoes, then just use double the amount)
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
4 sprigs thyme
2 whole cloves of garlic, unpeeled
handful of fresh basil leaves
4 slices paper thin prosciutto

Preheat oven to 180C. Place the tomatoes in a shallow roasting tray and drizzle over the olive oil. season with sea salt and black pepper and tuck the thyme sprigs and garlic cloves in around the tomatoes. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft, but not collapsed. Meanwhile toast the bread in a griddle pan. Place 2 slices on each plate and then gently rub the top of each slice with one of the roasted garlic cloves, after cutting it in half. A wonderful aroma will fill the kitchen as the warm garlic meets the toasted bread. Place 2 plump tomatoes on each piece of bread and scatter over some basil leaves. Place the prosciutto on the side and drizzle over any of the juices from the tomato pan. Eat straight away. It will be messy, but worth it.