If you’ve ever tasted a ripe tomato straight from a proper garden (as opposed to a garden where freaky, unnatural things take place), you know how tomatoes are supposed to taste. Too many times, store-bought tomatoes are watery and flavorless. Heirloom tomatoes are what a tomato should taste like: they are juicy without being mushy, and they taste… well, like they came from a garden – sweetly robust and earthy.
THIS recipe takes tomato flavor to a whole new level because, not only do you use slices of vibrant, fresh heirlooms, but you also roast some, concentrating that summery flavor, and make them into a rich tapenade. *My friend, Jessy, brought me some gorgeous black lava salt from her trip to Iceland last week. Wasn’t that thoughtful of her? It makes for a lovely finishing salt.
Slices of toasted baguette are slathered with tapenade, followed by fresh mozzarella, slices of heirloom tomato, crisp prosciutto, peppery arugula and liquorice-y basil. If that doesn’t look like summer, we don’t know what does.
The tapenade is intensely flavorful. It makes a gorgeous and simple appetizer if made in advance. We had some items leftover so we spread it on crostini, topped with cheese and basil. It was to die for:
Tip (unsponsored): Don’t let the cook time scare you here – make the tapenade and fry the prosciutto the day before and all you’ll have to do come time to serve is toast the baguette and layer with ingredients. This dish would be wonderful cut into smaller pieces and served as an appetizer, or left in longer slices and served at lunch or even dinner (just serve with fruit to bulk things up). If you can find heirlooms at a farmer’s market, they are likely to be delicious (grab a fresh baguette from the market if you can find one as well). We often buy ours from Trader Joe’s, and they are usually pretty satisfactory. We usually get our arugula at T.J.’s as well. If you don’t have access to a European-style bakery, we like the baguettes we find at Costco well enough.
Have your kids help you layer ingredients on the baguette halves. As you prepare and enjoy these tartines with those you love, teach them a few things about some of the ingredients:
- Olives are super high in antioxidants, which help keep your body “clean” from harmful toxins.
- Basil gives your body vitamin K, which help your blood clot correctly so you don’t bleed too much.
- Arugula provides your body with folic acid, which helps it make healthy new cells.
Clearly a French word, a tartine is an open-faced sandwich and is usually spread with something (tapenade, in this case). Let’s learn a few things about France and it’s people:
- The French are extremely proud of their country and language.
- French onion soup really is a traditional soup made with beef broth and topped with toast with melted cheese.
- There are hundreds of kinds of cheese made in France, and they eat much more cheese than we do in the U.S.
From: Roasted Tomato Tartines with Prosciutto
- 10 heirloom tomatoes (about 2½ pounds)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1 anchovy fillet
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
- 1 baguette
- 1 12 -ounce ball fresh mozzarella, halved and sliced
- Baby arugula and fresh basil, for topping
- Make the roasted tomato tapenade (this can be done a day ahead): Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Halve 4 tomatoes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Place the tomatoes cut-side down on the baking sheet, tucking 1 thyme sprig under each. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and roast until the skins start to loosen, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven; set aside until cool enough to handle, then pinch off the skins and discard. Return the tomatoes to the oven and continue roasting until slightly dried, about 1 hour. Discard the thyme and set the tomatoes aside to cool. (Keep the oven on.)
- Puree the roasted tomatoes, olives, anchovy, garlic, capers, vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and set aside. (The tapenade can be made 1 day ahead; transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.)
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Working in batches, add the prosciutto slices in a single layer and cook, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Cut the baguette in half crosswise, then split each half open to make 4 pieces. Place cut-side up on a baking sheet and bake until golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Slice the remaining tomatoes. Spread the roasted tomato tapenade on the baguette. Arrange the mozzarella and sliced tomatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper, then top with the prosciutto and some arugula and basil.
