Roasted Tomatoes with Basil and Goat's Cheese

This roasted tomatoes recipe is part of a series of recipes from the Cretan Diet on the Greek Island of Crete. As with all the ingredients that make up recipes from the Cretan Diet, the roasted tomatoes recipe is very simple, tasty and nutritious.

All the ingredients for Cretan Diet recipes are locally sourced, entirely natural without artificial additives or preservatives. The traditional simple ways of combining ingredients, cooking and serving are the key to tasty food packed with goodness, flavour and taste.

This has to be the simplest yet roasted tomatoes dish ever. The key to its success however lies in the quality and freshness of the tomatoes. Look for the best - it will really make a difference to the taste.

This is such a simple but tasty light lunch dish or you could serve it at dinner with grilled meat with warm crusty bread or grilled fish and lemon potatoes for a more substantial meal. It gives a real taste of Crete and the Greek islands.

Ingredients for Cretan Roasted Tomatoes

8 -10 medium tomatoes
1 tsp. dried Greek basil
½ tsp dried Greek oregano
½ tsp dried marjoram
2 tablespoon of crumbled goat cheese (you could use Feta cheese)
1 tablespoon of Cretan olive oil
2 tsp. quality Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic
Fresh parsley to garnish

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F - gas mark 6).

Wash tomatoes and cut into halves if small and quarters if large and place into a plastic bowl.

Peel and crush the garlic cloves and grind together with the basil, oregano, and marjoram and mix with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add this mix to the tomatoes to completely coat them. Add more olive oil if necessary.

Place tomatoes and oil mix in a roasting tin and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes are starting to soften.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for around 10 minutes. Season the tomatoes to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with goat cheese and garnish with chopped parsley.

How to Follow the Cretan Diet

We are going to help you eat like they do in Crete. This will open up for you a whole new world of tasty, healthy eating and Cretan cooking that will improve your well-being and even prolong your life. (Be sure to drive carefully and stop smoking to reap the benefits of a longer lifespan!)

These are the basic rules for the Cretan Diet:

Use olive oil as the principal fat, replacing all other fats and oils for frying and dressings
Drink a moderate amount of wine, normally with an evening meal; about one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women
Eat plenty of fresh fruit as a typical daily dessert; limit sweets with a significant amount of sugar and saturated fat
Include in your diet lots of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds
Eat low to moderate amounts of cheese and yoghurt daily
Consume low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry weekly; and limit eggs to a maximum of four per week
Include red meat rarely perhaps just once per week