Cobra Chilli
Bubblegum Fried Tomatoes
Spicy fried tomatoes on toast and maybe a sprinkle of cheese and grilled. Just gets better, right? Here’s a super easy fried tomato recipe that’s sure to add some fire!
Ingredients
- 1 kg of tomatoes in total, halved through the long side - Heirloom or San Marzano are great for this.
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 large cloves garlic, finely chopped (not crushed)
- 2 to 3 fresh green chillies, such as jalapeño or long red - seeded, ribbed and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 -2 tsp Cobra Chilli Bubblegum Pepper Sauce
- 2 tbs finely chopped fresh mint leaves (parsley is ok too)
- Freshly cracked black pepper (optional)
- Pita bread or good crusty bread, for serving
Method
- Arrange the tomato halves, cut-side down, in a skillet large enough to fit the pieces snugly.
- Pour the olive oil over the tomatoes and set the pan over medium heat until the oil has heated up and tomatoes have cooked slightly on the cut-side, about 5 minutes.
- Flip the tomatoes over and scatter half the garlic and chiles on top of the tomatoes, allowing some to fall into the oil in the gaps between the halves.
- Scatter the rest in the gaps between the tomato halves. The garlic and chillies in the oil will crisp as the dish cooks. Season with the salt, cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the tomatoes have started to soften but still retain their shape, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Check on the tomatoes several times while cooking and, tilting the pan, spoon some of the oil mixture over the tomatoes.
- Cooking time will vary with size and ripeness of the tomatoes. When almost done, sprinkle the mint (or you can use parsley) and Pepper Sauce over the tomatoes, cover the pan, and cook for about 1 minute. Finish with light sprinkling of black pepper, if using.
- Remove from the heat and serve with bread to mop up the juices.
