Roast tomatoes and Romano Peppers with a warm miso and tomato balsamic dressing
World Ocean Day might in the past have conjured tables groaning with wonderful fish in my mind. But, this year, despite my love of fish, it felt a bit more appropriate to champion some other stars of the coastline – sea herbs and seaweeds.
Sometimes a simple plate of seasonal vegetables is all you need. Especially when you elevate those simple things with a few special ingredients. This is a dish that’s more than the sum of its parts – thin skinned Romano peppers and British tomatoes roasted till caramelised and slaked in a sweet umami rich dressing. The smokiness of the tomato balsamic works so well with the savouriness of the miso and mineral saltiness of the seaweed – and makes the tomatoes even more tomatoey! Of course you can use a regular aged balsamic here but seek out the Tomato Stall one if you can…
Look out for sea purslane, sea aster and sea beets which all work really well – or just use regular herbs or micro herbs of you prefer – seasonality is the most important thing to remember rather than being held to a recipe…
Making your own seaweed salt is a doddle too – just pound some dried seaweed flakes with a little sea salt and store in an airtight jar. I love it on fish but it marries so well with lots of things – try mixing it through unsalted butter and serving with anything from the brassica family.
Feed 4 as a side
Ingredients:
3-4 handfuls of small flavourful tomatoes (Isle of Wight Tomato Stall if you can get them)
3-4 Romano peppers (the thin skinned long pointy variety)
1 tbs miso paste (full flavoured red or brown ideally)
1 tbs Tomato Stall Oak Smoked Tomato Balsamic (or a regular aged balsamic)
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4-5 tbs Greek or a mild coconut yogurt
A few pinches of seaweed salt
Black pepper
Sea herbs (or micro herbs if you struggle to get hold of them)
A few toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Method:
- Halve the peppers lengthways and carefully scoop out the seeds
- Halve the tomatoes through the root and arrange them with the peppers cut side up on a baking sheet
- Drizzle with a little olive oil and very lightly season with the seaweed salt and black pepper
- Roast in a hot oven (180 Fan) for 20 mins or so checking regularly – they should be nicely caramelised and a little charred in places (everyone’ oven is different so add or subtract cooking time as needed)
- Once you are happy remove your peppers and tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool (you want them around room temperature for the final dish)
- While that is happening toast your seeds till they pop, turn a little golden and smell fragrant – and set aside
- Boil a kettle and in a cup mix your miso, tomato balsamic and a little hot water to make a dressing – this should be pouring consistency and be a nice balance of sweetness and sharpness from the vinegar and savoury, saltiness from the miso – adjust as necessary to achieve that balance
- Arrange your still warm peppers and tomatoes on a flat dish and lightly dress with the miso balsamic dressing (you may well have some leftover which you can keep in your fridge for another day)
- Dot the peppers and tomatoes with the yogurt and sprinkle over the toasted seeds and the sea herbs/micro herbs
- Finish with a very light additional sprinkle of seaweed salt and black pepper and serve – lovely just with crusty bread or as accompaniment to other summer dishes and BBQs
Photo and recipe courtesy of Cook Folk