Fried tomatoes with onion

Fried tomatoes are often a breakfast food in Western countries, served with bacon and eggs. I don't eat such breakfasts, so I dress them up a bit and move them to lunch or dinner!

1. Heat olive oil in a pan with rosemary leaves.
2. Places tomatoes cut side down in the pan.*
3. Using a hand slicer, slice half an onion (enough for 2 tomatoes).
4. While the tomatoes are cooking, mix the onions to coat with oil and to cook evenly.
5. Turn the tomatoes over after 3 minutes.
6. Cook on the second side, covered with a lid to help hold in the heat.
7. Remove the onions at the point they are just starting to go brown.**

* Cook cut side down first, while the tomatoes are still firm, then turn them over as they soften. This means they don't become slushy.

**You can return the onions to the pan after you turn off the gas, to warm them through, while you put the tomatoes on a plate.

If the tomatoes do break, or if you want to make it a more substantial meal, you could cut the tomatoes and change this into a pasta sauce or steak topping.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

A "one vegetable" side dish that can easily be cooked while you are making the mains.

1. Wash one punnet of cherry tomatoes. Drain.
2. Shape a piece of foil into a shallow dish.
(Or you can use an aluminium tray, baking dish or glass dish.)
3. Put the tomatoes into the dish.
4. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes.
5. Season with a little black pepper.
6. Sprinkle on some herbs if you have any - thyme, oregano, rosemary.
7. Bake in a toaster oven or in the fish grill for about 5 minutes.
8. Finished!

They will be very sweet. If you want to, you can season them with salt, but I never do.

Alternative ideas:
1. Add a few pieces of Japanese negi leek. Just the green part will give a nice flavor and fragrance.
2. Roast some garlic the same way, and add it to the tomatoes.
3. Don't use the oil, but put chopped bacon on the top.

How to eat them:
1. Simply - just as a side vegetable.
2. As a topping sauce - mash them a little and put them on top of sauteed chicken.
3. As a pasta sauce - put them in a pan, mash them, and toss with pasta.
4. On toast - mash a little and eat on French bread toast. Just tomatoes or with anchovies.
5. As pizza topping.