A bells and whistles version of tomatoes on toast here, but with good reason. As you slice into the baked tomatoes, their sweet-sour juices spill deliciously over the soft mound of herb-speckled bean puree – a taste of deep summer.
Recipe by Nigel Slater
Makes 4 toasts
1lb (500g) tomatoes or 12 small-medium
6 thyme sprigs
3 tbsp olive oil
4 slices thick sourdough or ciabatta
For the bean puree
1 15oz (400g) can haricot or cannellini beans
5 tbsp olive oil
1oz (20g) basil
1 clove garlic
Set the oven at 400F/210C fan/gas mark 8.
Put the tomatoes snugly in a roasting tin, tuck in the thyme sprigs, then pour over the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper, then bake for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and their skins are just starting to burst.
Drain the beans and bring them to the boil in a pan of fresh water. (I often add a few sprigs of thyme and a couple of bay leaves, but it is not essential.) Lower the heat to a simmer and leave for 10 minutes. Drain the beans reserving a tablespoon of the cooking water. Put the beans into the bowl of a food processor, add a little salt and black pepper, the 5 tablespoons of olive oil and the basil leaves. Peel and add the clove of garlic, then process for a few seconds (only) to a thick, green cream.
Toast the bread on both sides. Spread the basil cream over it, then divide the tomatoes between the toasts, spooning over any thyme-scented juices from the pan.