Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes

Ingredients:

8 whole Roma Tomatoes, Halved
1 bunch Fresh Italian Parsley
1 bunch Fresh Basil
2 cloves To 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1-½ C Ricotta Cheese
Ritz Crackers Or Bread Crumbs
Kosher Salt To Taste
Olive Oil

Directions:

Start out by washing and halving your Roma tomatoes. After halving them, gut out the insides (seeds, etc.) with a spoon. Sprinkle a bit of kosher salt inside each tomato. Discard guts and lay the halved, gutted tomatoes face down on a clean towel.

Chop up your herbs and garlic and mix with the Ricotta cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Next, fill each tomato half with a nice heap of the Ricotta mixture.

In a food processor (or if you don’t have a food processor, you can mash in a plastic baggy with a rolling pin) crumble about 15-20 Ritz crackers. Or you can use dried bread crumbs from your favorite kind of bread if you want.

Press each ricotta filled tomato half face down into the crackers/crumbs and then place face up on a baking sheet. Drizzle each tomato with a bit of olive oil.

Place in 400º oven for 25-30 minutes.

Recipe from: Pioneer Woman Cooks blog - 7/31/08

Pizza Crudo

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 loaf ciabatta bread, split
1/2 Tsp dried oregano
Two 6- to 8-ounce pieces burrata cheese or fresh mozzarella cheese, mashed
2 pints multicolor cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup basil leaves, shredded
Salt and black pepper
A few pinches crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. In a small bowl, mix the garlic with the EVOO.

2. Grill the bread until grill marks appear. Brush with the garlic oil, top with the oregano and spread with the cheese. Top with the tomatoes, basil and more oil; season with salt, black pepper and the red pepper.

Recipe from: Rachael Ray magazine - September 2009