Drew's Tomatoes Roasted with Basil

Drew's Tomatoes are grown nearby in Little Witley, Worcestershire.  They are divine whether you taste the cherry, plum or classic varieties.  I think they do a tomato juice too.   The flavours in this dish are such a beautiful blend it cannot fail to please.  I serve them warm either as a veggie dish at a BBQ or on toasted ciabatta with feta for a weekend lunch in the sun.  Something I love about this dish is it is so patient, you can make it hours ahead and it is ready to dazzle your family or friends whenever you are ready. Any left over, unlikely as it is, can be blitzed with a stick blender to make a great base for a pasta sauce.  Crusty bread is essential to soak up the fruity olive oil and tomato juices.

Ingredients

12 large Drew's classic tomatoes

12 large fresh basil leaves

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Dressing

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Garnish
Basil leaves and black olives.

Method
Pre heat oven to 200C. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and pour over boiling water and leave them for one minute. Drain the water away and as soon as the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.  Next, cut each tomato in half and place in a good solid roasting dish.  Keep the cut side uppermost and season with salt and pepper.   Then sprinkle over the chopped garlic sharing it evenly.  Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil onto each half tomato and then top each with half a basil leaf.

Put them in the top of the oven and roast for 50 minutes - 1 hour or until the edges are slightly blackened.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool and they will be fine if cooked several hours ahead of when you want to serve them.
Serve with the dressing drizzled over the tomatoes and scatter the olives and don't forget lots of crusty bread.