Summer is here and we are eating up all the sweet cherry tomatoes coming from our backyard and the farm. Amazing fresh, I also love turning them into flavor bombs with a good oven roasting. They serve to add deeper flavor to marinara and romesco sauces, bring a concentrated burst of unami to rice pilaf, or a zing to a classic dish like sole “en papillote.” This sole, cooked in parchment paper, ticks off all the family table boxes: quick, seasonal, fresh, gorgeous and utterly delicious.

Parchment Wrapped Sole with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Pesto

Ingredients

            For the tomatoes:

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

Olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper

            For the sole and basil:

1 bunch of basil leaves

1/4 cup of nuts (pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts all do well here!)

1-2 garlic cloves

2-3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil

1 pound of sole filets

1 lemon

Method

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the tomatoes with enough olive oil to coat them, and season them with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning with a spatula halfway through, until tomatoes have a slight char and burst. (These can be done a day in advance)

In a small food processor or blender, combine the basil, nuts, garlic and olive oil, and blend until combined but still a little chunky. It should look like a paste, if it’s too dense, add a little more olive oil, and process more. Taste for seasoning and add pepper and salt as needed. 

Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper twice the width of the pan. Center the parchment on the baking sheet so both sides evenly drape over the sides. Place the sole filets in the center and season with salt and pepper. Evenly distribute the pesto over each filet. Cut half of the lemon into round slices, and then squeeze the remaining half over the sole. Distribute the tomatoes over the sole, add the lemon rounds on top, and pull the sides of the parchment paper together over the sole. Roll the parchment together, tightly to seal, then fold in the sides, again tightly, to seal.

Bake the sole in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Carefully unwrap the parchment paper, there will be a lot of steam that could cause a burn. Check the sole for doneness, it should be opaque in color and firm to the touch. Serve right away.  

•