Tomatoes cooked in creme fraiche with mint on toast recipe by Joe Woodhouse

Any tomato will do for this perfect light lunch

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Perfect as a light lunch or late breakfast, this is great really any time. Rub the bread with garlic for an extra kick. Use any tomato you have on hand. Slice or segment larger tomatoes and add ahead of really small ones. A lovely thing happens when the juices of the tomatoes and the creme fraiche bubble together and join forces.

Serves 4
good-quality olive oil 2 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves, finely grated or minced
tomatoes 500g, cut through the equator
creme fraiche 200g
mint 15g, leaves picked and very finely sliced, some leaves reserved for serving
sea salt flakes and black pepper
good-quality bread thickly cut and toasted, to serve

In a large frying or saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once nice and hot, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes cut-side down. Leave them alone to cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Then flip over to the skin side.

Add the creme fraiche. Boil for 1-2 minutes to slightly reduce the liquid. Remove from the heat once the tomatoes are starting to collapse.

Add the sliced mint leaves to the tomatoes. Shuffle the pan to combine everything and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the mixture over the toast, scatter over the mint leaves and eat with gusto.

From Your Daily Veg: Modern, Fuss-Free Vegetarian Food by Joe Woodhouse (Kyle Books, £22). To order a copy for £19.36 go to guardianbookshop.com

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