A Recipe For Slow Roasted Tomatoes With Ricotta Gnocchi

Or tomatoes on toast for breakfast or brunch …

Ideally, use the best tomatoes you can find, but I’ve also tested it with budget supermarket tomatoes, and they still tasted great. So, use whatever you can afford or have on hand.

Slow roasted tomatoes

Serves 4
Ingredients

500g-1kg vine or plum tomatoes (12-24 depending on the size)
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
4 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil
A generous few pinches of flaky sea salt

Method
1. Heat the oven to 140°C Fan. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Halve the tomatoes, then mix them in a bowl with the garlic slices, oil and salt, until evenly coated.
3. Spread them out on the baking trays, cut side up in an even layer, placing the garlic slices on top of the tomatoes.
4. Roast for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the tomatoes are jammy and sweet but not completely dry.
5. Squash all the tomatoes with the back of a fork so they become a little juicier, then allow them to cool (or keep them whole if you want to use them for something else.)
6. Store in a jar with a little more oil to coat them, toss through pasta, spread on toast, or spoon over crème fraîche and beans.

Ricotta gnocchi

The quantity of flour you use depends on your ricotta, so just keep an eye and add a little more if it’s feeling too wet. It should be a very rough, soft dough.

Serves 2
Ingredients
250g ricotta
1 egg yolk
100g plain flour (or ideally pasta “00” flour)
Salt and pepper
Slow roasted tomatoes (recipe above)

To serve
Extra virgin olive oil
Basil
Parmesan

Method
1. Drain the ricotta in a fine sieve, then put it in a mixing bowl.
2. Add the egg yolk and flour. Season with salt and pepper, then mix with a fork.
3. As it starts to come together, tip the dough onto a floured surface. Gently bring it together into a rough dough, then knead for a few seconds to combine. Be delicate here as over-kneading can make the gnocchi tough.
4. Wrap the dough in cling film, then let it chill for one hour.
5. Lightly flour your work surface and have a tray nearby that’s also lightly floured.
6. Unwrap the dough and cut it into four equal pieces. Roll one quarter into a long sausage about 1.5cm thick, being careful and gentle with the dough.
7. Cut into 2cm gnocchi pieces, then place them on the tray and repeat with the other three pieces of dough.
8. At this point, you can either place them back in the fridge until needed or cook them immediately.
9. To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water to cook. They are finished once they rise to the surface (around two minutes). If your pan is small, do this in two batches.
10. Reserve a mug of pasta water before draining the gnocchi, then drain the gnocchi.
11. Mash your roasted tomatoes, then tip them into the hot gnocchi along with a splash of pasta water and a few tablespoons of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
12. Spoon onto a platter or plates and top with some basil, or simply with parmesan and black pepper. 

Slow roasted tomatoes, toast (and a boiled egg)

Serves 1 or 2
Ingredients
1-2 slices of sourdough, toasted
2 x 7 minute boiled eggs
A few spoonfuls of slow roasted tomatoes
Salt and pepper

Method
1. Butter your toast, then spread a few of the mashed tomatoes plus any juices onto the slice.
2. Halve your eggs, then place them on top of the tomatoes.
3. Season with salt and pepper.

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