cherry tomatoes | The Family Farm Box

Roasted Broccoli with Charred Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

Packing in all of the summer goodness I can with my two favorite veggies that make perfect sense together: broccoli and cherry tomatoes. Throw in a bunch of basil and the tang of a good-quality Balsamic, and you’ve got an easy, and so tasty, summer side dish.

Roasted Broccoli with Charred Cherry Tomatoes and Fresh Basil

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli, about 1 1/2 pounds, cut from the stem into florets

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, any variety

Olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

8 large fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Instructions:

Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the broccoli on one of the sheet pans, the cherry tomatoes on the other sheet pan, and then drizzle generously with olive oil, salt and pepper. Distribute the broccoli and cherry tomatoes evenly on the sheet pans. Cook the cherry tomatoes for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes release their juice, shrink slightly and char on the outside, turning over at about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, place the broccoli in the oven, turning with a spatula occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and golden brown in places. When both of the vegetables are cooked and browned, remove them from the oven and mix together with the Balsamic vinegar. Transfer the broccoli and tomatoes to a serving platter and top with the freshly torn basil. Serve right away, or this dish can be served on a buffet at room temperature.

Serve this up with a pasta dish, grilled chicken breasts or roasted salmon filets. You could make it a vegan main by adding pine nuts, white beans or a good quality vegan cheese.

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Tomato & Basil Mini Tarts with Mozzarella and Pinenuts

Ahh, summer parties. White tents, breezy dresses, a lemon drop or rose in a frosted glass. Tapas, simple to nibble on, just one or two perfect bites. What sings summer? Garden fresh tomatoes and basil.

Tomato & Basil Mini Tarts with Mozzarella and Pinenuts

Makes about 24 miniature tarts

Ingredients:

1 portion of prepared pie dough

4 ounces of mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

6 basil leaves, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons toasted pinenuts

Olive oil, salt & pepper

Instructions: Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Coat two mini muffin pans with olive oil or vegetable spray. Roll the prepared pie dough into a flat round, about 9-inches in diameter. Using a 2-3 inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into 24 small disks, re-rolling the pie dough if necessary to cut more rounds. Place the dough rounds in each cup of the mini muffin pan. They don’t need to be perfect:

In each pastry cup place a few cubes of mozzarella and two or three cherry tomato halves. Mix together the basil, garlic and pinenuts with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, then put a portion of the mixture on each tomato tart.

Drizzle each tart with a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the pastry dough is browned and the tomatoes are soft and bubbly. Serve immediately, or at room temperature.