Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi’s grilled tomatoes and onions with feta-harissa pine nuts

Yotam Ottolenghi
Tue Jul 30 2019 - 05:55
Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Ingredients
  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 450g red onions, each peeled and cut through the core into eight wedges
  • 2 red peppers, seeded, stemmed and cut into three-centimetre pieces
  • 2 jalapeños, cut into one-centimeter-thick rounds, stems discarded
  • 1 head garlic, halved horizontally, cloves split in half
  • 1½kg plum tomatoes
  • 20g roughly chopped fresh coriander, plus one tablespoon, for garnish
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • Sea salt
  • 115g cherry tomatoes with the vine attached
  • 115g Greek feta, roughly crumbled into large chunks
  • 25g pine nuts
  • ½tbsp harissa paste

1. Heat the oven to 245 degrees Celsius, or equivalent. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer over medium-high heat.

2. Add 2 tablespoons oil, the onions, peppers, jalapeños and garlic to a large 26-by-34-centimeter roasting pan and give everything a good stir. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring two to three times, until softened and well charred. Remove the garlic halves and use a small knife to remove the cloves, adding them back into the roasting pan and discarding the papery skins.

3. Meanwhile, use a small knife to remove the core from the plum tomatoes and then carve a small X across the bottom of each tomato. Add half the plum tomatoes to the simmering water and blanch just until the skins begin to pull away from the flesh, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the plum tomatoes to a large colander to drain, then repeat with the remaining plum tomatoes. Once cool enough to handle, peel the plum tomatoes, discarding the skins, then roughly chop the flesh, seeds and all.

4. Add the plum tomatoes, 20g coriander, coriander seeds and 1¾tsp salt to the roasting pan and use the back of a large spoon to mash everything together, breaking up the garlic and jalapeños a little. Return to the oven for another 35 minutes, stirring twice throughout, or until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture has thickened. Remove from the oven and set the oven to the grill setting.

5. Top the charred vegetables with the cherry tomatoes and feta and drizzle with one tablespoon oil. Return to the oven on the middle rack and grill until the feta and cherry tomatoes have taken on some colour, 10 to 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, heat the remaining two tablespoons oil in a small frying pan over medium-high. Once hot, add the pine nuts and cook until golden, shaking the pan frequently, one to two minutes. Carefully stir in the harissa, then transfer to a small bowl.

7. When ready to serve, spoon the harissa pine nuts all over the vegetables and sprinkle with the remaining coriander. – New York Times.

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