Simplicity at its Best!

Tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs and feta – you can’t go wrong with this combination.

These roasted tomatoes served on creamy whipped feta are a real burst of flavour and are sure to impress everyone at your table. Baby tomatoes roast within a few minutes, and the balsamic vinegar and olive oil complement their natural sweet taste just perfectly.

Stylish starter or snack

Serve this recipe as a pre-dinner cocktail snack or starter with slices of fresh or toasted ciabatta or baguette to scoop up all the yumminess. It’s perfect to enjoy for a spring or summery al fresco meal. Or include it as part of a special brunch menu – it’s so good with eggs. However, the roasted, marinated tomatoes are quite versatile. Add them to a bed of green lettuce and herbs and enjoy as a side dish or toss them into pasta with some cooked chicken or bacon for a quick and mouth-watering meal.

Feta easily whips into a creamy texture with a bit of olive oil, and the touch of lemon makes it extra tasty. If you like goats’ cheese, that can be whipped up similarly, as an alternative. Remember that the feta is already quite salty, so don’t be tempted to add more salt, just a good grind of pepper and fresh basil leaves will do the trick. The roasted tomatoes are divine on a big puddle of creamy hummus and perfect as a dairy-free alternative.

Roasted tomatoes on whipped feta

Recipe by Heleen Meyer

Serves 8 as a starter or snack

200 g red or yellow baby or rosa tomatoes, halved lengthwise

100 g cherry or exotic tomatoes, halved

large pinch of salt

90 ml (6 tbsp) olive oil

15 ml (1 tbsp) balsamic vinegar

3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from the stalks (15-20 ml fresh rosemary leaves)

2 slices feta (about 70-80 g each), crumbled

10 ml (2 tsp) finely grated lemon rind

15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice

pepper

fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line a baking tray with baking paper or use a shallow oven dish.
2. Place all the tomatoes in a single layer on the baking tray and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and almost dried out, but still keeping their shapes.
3. Mix 60 ml of the oil with the vinegar and rosemary in a bowl. Add the tomatoes to the oil mixture and toss to coat the tomatoes. Marinate for 10-15 minutes.
4. Place feta with the remaining oil and the lemon rind and juice in a mixing bowl or jug. Using a stick blender, blend until a smooth mixture forms. Season with pepper.
5. Spread whipped feta on a serving plate or platter and spoon the tomatoes with any leftover marinade on top, just before serving. Garnish with basil leaves and a good grind of black pepper.

Visit Heleen’s website for more recipes like this.

Image by Adel Ferreira, for LiG Tydskrif