Do Something Simple!

Putting together a spectacular feast can be a wonderful thing, but sometimes we just don’t have the time or energy to engineer a meal that will span the course of an evening and inundate the dreams of those fortunate enough to have savored its pleasures for nights to come. Yes, that’s right, sometimes even epicurious whores just need a quickie. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Here’s a little something for those nights when we don’t want to do more than 15 minutes worth of work because it’s much nicer to sit back and relax with some soothing music on, a glass of our favorite cocktail/wine/beer in hand and all the worries of the day driven out of our heads by the tantalizing aromas slowly filling our homes. We’re keeping things as simple as possible here—no need even for specific measurements!

What we need:

Some smallish tomatoes (roma or campari-sized), cut in half

several garlic cloves (about 1 for every 2 tomatoes), skin on

rosemary, thyme

good salt, freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

What we do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

1. Place the halved tomatoes into an oven-proof baking dish and lustfully snuggle the garlic cloves in between the tomato halves. (Yes, let your mind wander–it knows where it’s going!)

1. Sprinkle lightly with rosemary and thyme, then give the tomatoes a generous dose of salt and pepper.
2. Drizzle olive oil over everything. Make sure some drips (sensually) into the gaps to cover the garlic!
3. Roast for 40+ minutes; the tomatoes will release their juice and start to darken on the edges.
4. Do something exquisite until such time as the tomatoes are done roasting.
5. Serve with a nice hunk of bread on the side and proceed to indulge. Don’t forget to squeeze the garlic out onto the tomatoes as you go—the pleasure centers of your brain will thank you. Amply.

The wonderful thing here is that roasting brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, so even sad winter tomatoes can turn into a treat, and the combination of tomato and garlic is just incredibly… voluptuous. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go and pretend to do something taxing so that I can better savor the relaxation that I will lavish on myself tonight!