Nigel Slater’s recipe for baked tomatoes, crumbs and herbs

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Twist 750g of large tomatoes from their stems and slice each in half. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, in a roasting tin or baking dish. Remove the leaves from several sprigs of thyme, enough to fill 2 tbsp. Chop them finely and add to 3 tbsp of olive oil. Season with a generous grinding of salt and pepper. Trickle the seasoned oil over the tomatoes.

Bake for about 45 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and their skins are a little dark and even caramelised where they touch the tin. While they bake, finely grate the zest from 1 lemon, roughly chop 15 basil leaves, 12 chives and a good handful of parsley leaves.

Warm 3 tbsp of olive oil in a shallow pan, add 40g of fresh, coarsely grated breadcrumbs and the lemon zest and let them cook over a moderate heat until lightly browned and starting to crisp. Stir in the chopped basil, chives and parsley. Season with a little salt and set aside until the tomatoes are ready.

Scatter the toasted crumbs over the tomatoes, sprinkle with a little more oil then return to the oven for about 10 minutes. Serves 2

I often cook a pot of steamed rice or couscous to go with this, spooning the herby-olive-oily juices over the grains as I eat.

The crumb crust is a good way to finish baked aubergines, too. Halve the fruit, moisten generously with olive oil and a little garlic purée and thyme, then bake until the aubergines are soft and luscious, and then top with the herb-seasoned crumbs.

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