Terrific rustic baked tomatoes

This is a recipe my good friend Anneke gave me and you can’t get better than this for a really tasty, rich but healthy starter.

Ingredients
Very ripe tomatoes (preferably vine tomatoes and  lots of them)  peeled and halved
lots of fresh basil
lots of garlic, thinly sliced
anchovies (unrinsed)
good extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

**   Serve with good fresh ciabatta bread, sliced and lightly baked in the oven with garlic cloves rubbed into each slice while still hot.

Layer the bottom of a baking dish (one you would be happy to serve the dish in) with basil leaves, so that they cover the bottom of the dish, then lay thinly sliced garlic over that.

Season lightly and sprinkle olive oil over the basil and garlic.
Stack the peeled and halved tomatoes cut side down in the baking dish, cramming as many in as possible, even more than you think can fit and squash them down a little with your hand releasing some of the juices.

Put the unrinsed anchovy fillets in between the cracks in the tomatoes.

Sprinkle with a good amount of good olive oil, season with ground pepper but not too much salt due to the saltiness of the anchovies.

Cook in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours uncovered and serve at room temperature with the really good baked and garlic rubbed bread.