Tomato Gratin

Food Styling and Prep by Catrine Kelty
Photography by John W. Hession

Serves 4

A tomato gratin makes a great side dish, and is a good and delicious way to use up extra summer tomatoes.

Extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups 1-inch-diced ciabatta bread cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups cut-in-half cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Grinding black pepper
1 cup diced Swiss, Montasio or Italian Fontina cheese
2 tablespoons chopped basil

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a stovetop-to-oven casserole dish and brown the bread cubes in batches; transfer the cubes to a bowl. Repeat, adding more oil as needed to brown the remaining cubes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the same pan and cook the garlic until it softens. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, sugar and pepper, and cook until the tomatoes exude their juices. Return the bread cubes to the pan and press them down into the tomatoes.
3. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake until the casserole is set and nicely browned, about 12–15 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the basil over top and scoop from pan to serve.

Recipe from Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy