Garlic Grilled Tomatoes

Serves 6

You'll need:
1 cup wood chips (optional; preferably oak), soaked for 1 hour in cold water to cover, then drained.

6 ripe red tomatoes
Coarse salt and black pepper
6 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 to 2 ounces)
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Peel and pulverize the garlic. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pulverized garlic, and cook until just starting to turn golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the garlic and oil into a heatproof bowl.

3. Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. If using a gas grill, place the wood chips, if desired, in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and preheat until you see smoke.

4. When ready to grill, brush and oil the grill grate. If using a charcoal grill, toss the wood chips, if desired, on the coals. Place the tomatoes cut-side down on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating them 45 degrees after 2 minutes to create an attractive crosshatch of grill marks. Turn the tomatoes with tongs, spoon the fried garlic over the tomatoes, and continue grilling until the bottoms (the rounded parts) are nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Transfer the tomatoes to plates or a platter. Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano over the tomatoes and sprinkle them with the thyme. Serve at once.

Variation:
To make garlic-grilled plum or cherry tomatoes, place 12 whole plum tomatoes or 24 cherry tomatoes in a mixing bowl and toss with half of the olive oil and pulverized garlic, some salt and pepper, and half the thyme. Place the tomatoes on the hot grate (use a vegetable grate for the cherry tomatoes). Grill until the skins are darkly browned and blistered, turning the tomatoes with tongs, 6 to 8 minutes in all. Transfer the tomatoes to a platter and sprinkle with the remaining oil, garlic, thyme, and the grated cheese. Serve at once.

Buy the Book!

How To Grill
The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques
By Steven Raichlen
Workman Publishing, May 2001
Hardcover: $35.00, Paperback: $19.95
512 pages, full-color photographs throughout
ISBN: 0-7611-2482-9 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0-7611-2014-9 (Paperback)
Recipe reprinted by permission.