Sometimes I like to forgo dinner and just snack on some tapas with a glass of wine. This time around I went with a tomato pisto, which is a Spanish blend of roasted vegetables, a recipe originating from La Mancha, and very similar to ratatouille. I roasted it with goat cheese and lots of pepper, spreading it on toasted baguette. I think I went through an entire loaf myself. Toasted bread, bright and acidic tomatoes, plus creamy chevre are excellent partners with a California Zinfandel, especially the beautifully balanced 2006 Ridge Vineyards “Three Valleys” Sonoma Zinfandel. At 80% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Syrah, 5% Carignan, and 5% Grenache, the wine is well balanced, with firm tannins and bright fruit and acidity. It has a beautiful deep magenta hue, and a black cherry nose. The flavors pair deliciously with the roasted tomato pisto, which gets a good amount of spice from the red onion and black pepper. So get your stemware out and enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 small heirloom tomatoes (or plum tomatoes)
1 small Japanese eggplants
2 red bell peppers
1 red onion, not peeled
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons freshly chopped thyme
3 tablespoons julieanned basil
¼ cup olive oil
3 oz Fresh Chevre
1 baguette
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Set oven to 400 F. Cut all of the vegetables in half, place on a baking pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle heavily in olive oil. Place the garlic cloves on a sheet of tin foil, and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap the tin foil into a bundle around the garlic, and toss onto the pan. Roast the vegetables for about 30 minutes, or until very soft (the onion may take as long as an 45 minutes). Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the skin from the tomatoes and peel the onion. Scoop out the flesh from the eggplant. Turn the oven up to 450 F. Place the vegetables into a food processor, add the thyme, tomato paste, a pinch of salt, and good amount of pepper. Pulse several times, to roughly chop and combine the mixture. Taste and add more salt and pepper. Drizzle in remaining olive oil and pulse one or two times more (it should have a rough texture, not pureed like baby food).
In a large ramekin or small deep dish, place a 3 oz mound of fresh chevre. I find it’s easiest to cut a log in half, and stick it into the ramekin. Using a slotted spoon, fill up the ramekin with the pisto mixture. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the ramekin on the highest rung in the oven, and roast for 5-10 minutes (when the top is bubbling, and the cheese is slightly gooey, it’s ready).
While the pisto is roasting, slice and toast or grill the baguette. When it’s done, place the pisto on a large plate, and surround with the toasted bread. Use a spreader to smear some pisto and cheese on to the bread. Enjoy!
:.