A Zinger of an Appetizer: Charred Tomatoes and Cold Yogurt
I have a couple of go-to appetizer dips that I use ALOT (a certain Artichoke Dip comes to mind). Every time I make one of them there is this nagging little voice in my brain whispering, “pssst…Deb, I know this is good but try something new, this is getting boring”. Well, I finally listened to that voice. I pulled out Ottolenghi’s newest book, Simple, and landed on his recipe for Charred Tomates and Cold Yogurt. It was a no-brainer, the dish is featured on the cover of the book.
I’m so glad I did.
Right up my alley, easy to make and DELICIOUS. The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes (hello all you tomato growers), Greek yogurt, fresh thyme, oregano, garlic, and lemon. Oops, and olive oil. Toss the tomatoes with the spices and oil, roast and then broil to char the tomatoes. Spoon charred, hot tomatoes on top of the cold yogurt and serve with pita wedges or baguette slices. HOW EASY IS THAT?
Run out to the store and get cherry tomatoes right now. If you are growing tomatoes, go check for ripe ones and pull them off the vine. I was blown away by how flavorful and simple this dish is. The spices enhance the tomatoes and the lemon adds a nice citrusy zing. The contrast of the hot tomatoes and the cold yogurt adds yet another note. Serve with toasted baguette slices or pita wedges.
Luckily I have a little herb box right outside my kitchen, I picked a couple of stems of oregano and thyme for the dish, slivered some garlic, zested a lemon (yippee, I have a lemon tree too) and sprinkled on the cumin seeds. While the tomatoes were roasting, I pulled out the carton of Labneh I had picked up at the International Bazaar and seasoned it with salt and lemon peel. Labneh is the Middle Eastern version of thick yogurt. You can use this or a Greek full-fat yogurt, both will work. I plopped it into a good size shallow bowl, swirled a groove in the center to hold the tomatoes and then placed the bowl in the fridge to keep the yogurt cold while the tomatoes were roasting.
Yum, yum, yum.
Charred Tomatoes with Cold Yogurt
Ingredients
- 12 ¼ oz/350g cherry tomatoes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp light brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 6 oregano sprigs: 3 sprigs left whole and the rest stemmed to serve
- 1 lemon: finely shave the skin of ½ to get 3 strips then finely grate the other ½ to get 1 tsp zest
- Flaked sea salt and black pepper
- 1 2 ∕3 cups/350g extra-thick Greek-style yogurt or Labneh fridge-cold
- ½ tsp other crushed red pepper flakes
- pita wedges or baguette slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, cumin, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano sprigs, lemon strips, ½ teaspoon of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix to combine, then transfer to a baking sheet just large enough—about 6 x 8 inches/15 x 20 centimeters— to fit all the tomatoes together snugly.
- Place the sheet about 2 inches/5 centimeters beneath the broiler and roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are beginning to blister and the liquid is bubbling. Turn the oven to the broil setting and broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blacken on top.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, combine the yogurt with the grated lemon zest and ¼ tsp of flaked salt. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Once the tomatoes are ready, spread the chilled yogurt on a platter (or in a wide, shallow bowl, creating a dip in it with the back of a spoon. Spoon the hot tomatoes on top, along with their juices, lemon strips, garlic, and herbs, and finish with the oregano leaves and chile flakes. Serve at once.