Tomatoes Gratin

Hot juicy tomatoes under a cheesy toasted breading.  These will vanish quickly.













INGREDIENTS
3 TB + 3 TB olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3-4 medium (baseball size) tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 400F.

Heat 3TB of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic, stirring, for 2 minutes or until garlic just begins to tan.  Turn off heat under the skillet, and stir in the bread crumbs and Parmesan.  Set aside.

Spray a 9x12 baking dish with canola oil and arrange the tomato slices on the bottom.  Sprinkle with the basil leaves and salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the tomatoes, and drizzle the remaining 3TB olive oil over the top.  Slide the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until bread crumbs begin to brown.

Serve warm, and watch them go.

Photo and Recipe by Tod Dimmick