The Capsule Pantry: Charred Tomatoes on Yoghurt 13+ ways

AKA the appetizer to end all appetizers

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Two things you will always find in my fridge are tomatoes and plain Greek-style yoghurt.

Which is useful because one of my favourite dishes to make — and I make it at least once a week — is charred tomatoes on Greek yoghurt. What a coincidence, eh?

This dish has been adapted from a recipe by the most excellent of chefs Yotam Ottolenghi. For readers who may not know the name, Ottolenghi is someone who has reached almost cult-level status in the UK. He’s an advocate of everything Middle Eastern and everything vegetarian. Like me, he’s also a big fan of flexibility and many of his recipes can be endlessly adapted to what’s in your fridge.

Yotam, I salute you.

So, back to the tomatoes.

I know that January isn’t the perfect time for tomatoes, but I’m lucky enough to be in Albania, a place warm enough to grow them throughout the year. But seeing as I claim to also champion seasonality, I’ve included some variations that are more Northern-Hemisphere-season-specific.

If you are able to get your hands on half-decent tomatoes right now, this dish is going to make a star of them. The toms are roasted and then charred under the grill, concentrating all those tomatoey sugars into something both sweet and intensely savoury. Smack them onto a bed (does anyone use the word bed to describe food anymore?) of seasoned plain yoghurt and you my friend, have the appetizer to end all appetizers.

Or indeed the lunch to end all lunches.

Charred tomatoes on yoghurt

Serves 4

The original recipe