Summer Tomato Stew

This is a dish for late summer when the tomatoes are bursting and plentiful. A perfect way to use up a mixture of tomatoes, I love this best when made with a few different varieties, each one adding a little character to the final dish. Like the best of summer cooking, this dish is about simplicity, being able to get away with adding less because your produce is at its best.

I have Greek basil to garnish this, it is a tiny-leaved variety of basil with a distinct floral aniseed flavour. It is different enough from Italian basil varieties to be worth buying if you ever see it, or growing yourself- it is prolific once it gets going but is very pretty and ornamental. If you happen to be able to buy some, store it like you would a bouquet of flowers, in a glass of water out of the fridge- the fridge will quickly turn the leaves black. If you cannot find Greek basil, use an Italian basil instead.

A good piece of toasted bread, rubbed with garlic and slathered with fresh ricotta is a perfect way to complete this.

Variations: Although very good as it is, this also makes a great base for cooking pieces of white fish: cook the stew and transfer it to a high sided roasting dish, then nestle lightly salted fillets of fish into the sauce. Add a little lemon zest, a squeeze of juice, a splash of white wine if desired and a few good quality olives if you wish. A little extra finely sliced red chili is very good too. Bake 350 for 20-30 minutes or until the fish is just cooked (check after 15, and asses from there). Serve with roasted potatoes or couscous and a green salad.

Use the sauce as a base to cook eggs: heat the stew in a frying pan with a lid, crack eggs into the bubbling sauce, season with salt and cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are just opaque. Gently remove from the pan with a large spoon and serve with toast. I love to eat these with a salad of feta and chopped cucumbers and plenty of parsley.

Cooked chickpeas also make a wonderful addition to make a more substantial, and still vegetarian, meal.