Not From a Box

Tomate a la Provance - a French recipe I got from a British friend who ordered it at a little restaurant on a beach in Brazil.

Years ago, when I first got to Brazil, I knew that the kitchen was going to be a major challenge. The only "pre-prepared" foods that existed were a few canned items (corn, peas, peaches and prunes) and potato chips in teeny tiny bags.

Things have developed quite a bit in the last 16 1/2 years...we can now buy a variety of frozen vegetables, dry soup mixes (just add water), cake mixes and a slowly growing variety of breakfast cereals, among other things.

I guess that I have gotten so used to all the peeling, chopping, steaming and cooking that it doesn't bother me any more. In fact, the fresher the produce the better! This is one of my favorites that I HAD to share...hope you can hang on till July when all those tomatoes come ripe. :)

Tomate a la Provance

Slice large very ripe tomatoes.

Lay them slightly overlapping in a large non-stick skillet previously drizzled with olive oil.

Sprinkle on top:

fresh finely chopped garlic

lots of fresh basil or parsley

fresh ground pepper

salt

Drizzle on more olive oil and turn on the heat med-low. Let the tomatoes cook till they start to get soft and then push down on them with the back of a pancake turner (spatula).

Serve on french bread cut in rounds and toasted warm in the oven with slices of ricotta or spread with cream cheese.