It may sound far-fetched, but the grilled tomatoes and onions with feta-harissa pine nuts has all the beauty and poetry of “hare in the woods.” Picasso saw cubism in a military truck. Similarly, Massimo Bottura saw a woodland landscape in a camouflage pattern. From that insight, he created “hare in the woods,” in his kitchen at the Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy.
Grilled tomatoes and onions with feta-harissa pine nuts may not look like a woodland landscape. However, there is a cheerful feel of summer tomatoes kissed by the brazing sun. You put the dish on the table by the pool or in the park, welcome everyone to grab a bite with chips, tacos, or some flatbread. Soon, you’ll see the bottom of the tray.
This is not your ordinary salad. For one, it’s not cold. Quite the contrary, it’s a bunch of vegetables exquisitely cooked over high heat — until the juices meld and their flavor turns hearty and complex.
Can’t begin talking about the dish without crediting the genius of the chef, Yotam Ottolenghi. His inspiration of this cooked salad comes from all around the northern and eastern Mediterranean. For example, French ratatouille, Italian peperonata, Moroccan taktouka and baba ganoush are variations of the theme.
Grilling all or some of the vegetables is a way of intensifying the flavors and adding a bit of char, smoke and bitterness to the mix. Here the vegetables are: red onions, red bell peppers, jalapeños and tomatoes. The star ingredient is the charred tomatoes with feta. Everything in one pan cooked in the oven from start to finish. Amazing one-pot wonder!
Meanwhile there are countless variations on the cooked salad. There are no reasons why you can’t throw in zucchini, carrots or potatoes in the mix. In addition, you can also vary the way you serve it. Serve it hot as a chunky sauce over couscous, pasta or rice. Or serve it as a condiment to meats or alongside other vegetable dishes.
It’s carefree summer! No sweat, anything goes. Let your creativity guide you to wherever it wants to travel.
Grilled Tomatoes and Onions with Feta-Harissa Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons/75 milliliters olive oil
- 1 pound/450 grams red onions, each peeled and cut through the core into 8 wedges
- 2 red bell peppers (10 ounces/285 grams), seeded, stemmed and cut into 1-inch/3-centimeter pieces
- 2 jalapeños, cut into 1/3-inch/1-centimeter-thick rounds, stems discarded
- 1 head garlic, halved horizontally, cloves split in half
- 3 ¼ pounds/1 1/2 kilograms plum tomatoes
- ½ cup/20 grams roughly chopped fresh cilantro (coriander), plus 1 tablespoon, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- Kosher salt
- 4 ounces/115 grams cherry tomatoes with the vine attached
- 4 ounces/115 grams Greek feta, roughly crumbled into large chunks
- ¼ cup/25 grams pine nuts
- ½ tablespoon harissa paste
Instructions
Heat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit/245 degrees Celsius. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons oil, the onions, bell peppers, jalapeños and garlic to a large 10-by-13-inch/26-by-34-centimeter roasting pan (tin) and give everything a good stir. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring two to three times, until softened and well charred. Remove the garlic halves and use a small knife to remove the cloves, adding them back into the roasting pan (tin) and discarding the papery skins.
Meanwhile, use a small knife to remove the core from the plum tomatoes and then carve a small X mark across the bottom of each tomato. Add half the plum tomatoes to the simmering water and blanch just until the skins begin to pull away from the flesh, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the plum tomatoes to a large colander to drain, then repeat with the remaining plum tomatoes. Once cool enough to handle, peel the plum tomatoes, discarding the skins, then roughly chop the flesh, seeds and all.
Add the plum tomatoes, 1/2 cup/20 grams cilantro (coriander), coriander seeds and 1 3/4 teaspoons salt to the roasting pan (tin) and use the back of a large spoon to mash everything together, breaking up the garlic and jalapeños a little. Return to the oven for another 35 minutes, stirring twice throughout, or until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture has thickened. Remove from the oven and set the oven to the broil (grill) setting.
Top the charred vegetables with the cherry tomatoes and feta and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Return to the oven on the middle rack and broil (grill) until the feta and cherry tomatoes have taken on some color, 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Once hot, add the pine nuts and cook until golden, shaking the skillet frequently, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully stir in the harissa, then transfer to a small bowl.
When ready to serve, spoon the harissa pine nuts all over the vegetables and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro (coriander).
Notes
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020345-grilled-tomatoes-and-onions-with-feta-harissa-pine-nuts
3 Comments
eatliveescape
August 20, 2019 at 6:25 pmDelicious!!
Shirley@EverOpenSauce
August 20, 2019 at 6:41 pmGlad you like it!
Kim Tracy
September 1, 2019 at 6:32 pmYes! I can see this fitting perfectly into a pool party scooped up with some bread or pita. I love Ottolenghi’s use of pine nuts (my favorite when toasty and warm).