Carmela Soprano's Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Basil and Anna Sultana's Hobz Biz-Zejt (bread with oil, Maltese Style)

Last week I made Carmela Soprano's Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce.  I had some grape tomatoes left over.  This weekend Sobeys had grape tomatoes on sale - plus I got 35 bonus points since I bought 2 pints.

It was a sign.

Back to Entertaining with The Sopranos.  

Yippee!!  Found this quickie.

Carmela's Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Basil is easy.
In a large roasting pan, toss
3 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
with
1/4 cup olive oil
season with salt and pepper
Roast 8 to 10 minutes in a 425º oven.
Remove to serving bowl and sprinke with
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Serve hot. 

Ma served lots of tomatoes.  Especially in the summer.  Pop had a garden and, once the tomatoes were ripe, we had them with everything.

In Malta a popular snack is Hobz Biz-Zejt - bread with oil.  Maltese bread is very crusty.  In New York, we substituted the Italian bread we bought at the local Italian bakery.  Not as crusty, but what can you do?  In summer Ma would drizzle some olive oil over the bread slices, top them with slices of tomatoes, then add some salt and pepper.  

For a little variety, Ma would slice some tomatoes in half and rub the halves on the bread slices.  She'd put the squeezed tomato halves on a plate.  Then she'd pour some olive oil in a pyrex custard cup and season the oil with salt and pepper.  We would dip the bread in the olive oil and eat the bread with the tomatoes.  There'd also be some capers, chopped olives and anchovies, if anyone wanted them with the oily bread.   

Carmela's Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Basil could go on some Italian bread.

Sure, I'd make it again.  Especially when I get bonus points.

I'd also serve the leftovers cold.

Another recipe down.  Fifty-three more to go.