Tomini alla brace

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 4 cheeses (Tomino, approx. 90 g each)
• 3 tomatoes (Roma or San Marzano)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• salt and pepper
• oregano

Instructions

Working time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 6 minutes; Total time approx. 16 minutes

Italian baked cheese on tomato nest

Dice the tomatoes and add olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and finely chopped garlic. Fill four baking dishes (soufflé dishes) 2/3 full with the diced tomatoes. Place a Tomino on each tomato nest, first cutting a cross in the bottom. After 4-6 minutes in a preheated oven (220°C), the Tomini should slowly melt onto the tomatoes. The tomatoes should not become soft. On a menu, this would probably be “lukewarm tomatoes.” Serve in the dishes with white bread. Since the tomatoes are watery, mainly due to the salt, they should be processed immediately. If the tomatoes have to wait a while, do not pour any juice into the dishes. Instead, drain the diced tomatoes in a sieve, then transfer them to the dishes and pour a maximum of 1 tablespoon of the juice over them. Tomini are small cheeses (approx. 4 cm in diameter) from Piedmont, usually made from cow’s milk. If you don’t have any tomini available, you can also use small Camemberts (with some adjustments!). However, you’ll have to adjust the baking time. And the tomini taste much better! Instead of four small ramekins, you can also use a larger ramekin. However, be careful that the tomatoes don’t swim in the liquid, as they will become mushy. Instead of the “simple” tomato mixture mentioned above, you can vary it with basil, rosemary, thyme, etc. The quantity (two tomini per person) is roughly equivalent to one main course; one tomini per person is the appetizer portion.