These are not elaborate, like the stuffed tomatoes in the preceding recipe, but are essentially seasoned baked tomatoes you can throw together in a hurry. The tomatoes themselves should be ripe and delicious, though ironically this treatment is a good one for green tomatoes as well.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 teaspoon minced garlic, optional

　　1 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh (page 580)

　　1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, plus chopped parsley for garnish

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you’re using the garlic, process it with the bread crumbs, the 1/4 cup parsley leaves, and some salt and pepper; if not, just finely chop the parsley leaves and stir them into the bread crumbs along with some salt and pepper.

　　

Step 2

Use half the olive oil to grease the bottom of an ovenproof dish or pan that can just about hold the tomatoes in one layer (it’s okay for them to overlap a bit). Layer the tomatoes in there and sprinkle with salt and pepper; top with the bread crumb mixture and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

　　

Step 3

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are lightly browned and the tomatoes softened; check once or twice and rotate the pan if necessary so the top browns evenly. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve hot or at room temperature.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.