There’s something very wonderful about sweet, charred tomatoes still warm from the barbeque served on cool, tangy natural yoghurt. That pairing is taken into the realm of magical with the addition of a pomegranate molasses dressing and fresh mint and basil.
The recipe is the first one I marked to make once I’d raced through Live Fire: Seasonal Barbecue Recipes and Stories of Live Fire Traditions Old and New by Helen Graves and we’ve made it several times in the last few weeks, so addictive is the combination of flavours and textures.
To find out more, read my in-depth review of Helen Graves’ Live Fire cookbook.
Charred Tomatoes with Cool Yoghurt, Pomegranate Molasses and Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 300 g (10½ oz/scant 1¼ cups) natural full-fat yoghurt
- 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) cherry tomatoes on the vine
- handful of mint leaves, chopped
- large handful of basil leaves, torn
- handful of pomegranate seeds
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons za’atar
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- sea salt
Notes
Instructions
- Prepare a barbecue for direct cooking over medium heat.
- Combine the dressing ingredients with a pinch of salt in a clean lidded jar or bowl and shake or whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Combine the crushed garlic, yoghurt and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Grill the tomatoes over direct heat for about 5 minutes until charred and soft.
- To serve, spread the garlic yoghurt on a plate. Remove the grilled tomatoes from the vine and combine with the herbs in a bowl. Add two-thirds of the dressing and mix gently.
- Top the yoghurt with the tomato mixture and pour the remaining dressing on top. Add another drizzle of olive oil, a scattering of pomegranate seeds and some more salt, if you like.
To Cook Indoors:
- Preheat a cast-iron griddle pan over a high heat for at least 5 minutes and use it to char the tomatoes. You could also cook them under the grill – just make sure they get nice and black in places.
We have taken to prepping the dressing and yoghurt ahead of time. All we have to do once the tomatoes go onto the barbecue is to prep the herbs and assemble once the tomatoes have charred. We’ve had this alongside several barbeques of meat and fish main dishes and this simple side always steals the show.
Kavey Eats received a review copy of Live Fire: Seasonal Barbecue Recipes and Stories of Live Fire Traditions Old and New from publishers Hardie Grant. This recipe is published with permission. Book photography by Rob Billington.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!2 Comments to "BBQ Charred Tomatoes with Cool Yoghurt, Pomegranate Molasses and Herbs"
I foolishly only made a half quantity of this as there are two of us. That was a HUGE mistake. It’s delicious. I expect it would be nice chilled as well as part of a salad.
I know what you mean, this is a firm favourite for us, we love it so much!