Broiled Tomatoes

In less than 10 minutes of hands-on time, you can have a beautiful, mouthwatering dish that showcases your garden's best tomatoes. Each tomato is topped with a crisp cap of herbs, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Broiled tomatoes are the perfect accompaniment to virtually any meal.

Broiled Tomatoes

In less than 10 minutes of hands-on time, you can have a beautiful, mouthwatering dish that showcases your garden's best tomatoes. Each tomato is topped with a crisp cap of herbs, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Broiled tomatoes are the perfect accompaniment to virtually any meal.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 medium-sized tomatoes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as marjoram, thyme, basil, and/or rosemary
  • 4 tsp fresh bread crumbs
  • 4 tsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Cut off a half-inch slice from the stem end of each tomato. Remove any remaining core. Season the cut ends of each tomato with ¼ teaspoon salt. Place cut end down on a rack or paper towel. Let drain for 30 minutes. Blot dry with a paper towel.
  • Preheat oven broiler on high and line a baking pan with foil. Place the tomatoes cut side up on the lined pan. Season with pepper to taste. Evenly sprinkle fresh herbs over the top of each tomato. Drizzle each tomato with olive oil. Broil until hot and the tops begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Combine bread crumbs and cheese. Spread evenly over the tomatoes and broil until the cheese is melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve immediately.
Broiled tomatoes of varying colors
Broiled Tomatoes!

Featured Ingredient: Sweet Marjoram

Sweet marjoram is often described as a mild oregano. It's a popular seasoning in European cuisine, in dishes ranging from sausages, stuffings, and stews to soups and roasted vegetables. Marjoram also dries very well, so harvest as needed in the summer and dry for use in the winter months. Keep in mind that the flavor intensifies right before the plant begins to bloom. Learn to grow your own majoram.

The knots on sweet marjoram are actually the plant’s blooms.
Sweet marjoram produces blooms that start out looking like little knots. This surprises many new gardeners, but rest assured that these buds are perfectly normal.