Chapter One
Tomato on Toast, Beans in a Bowl
At a market near opening time, tomatoes have two personalities. Some are firm and seem proud of it. Others give a little under a careful thumb. Bring the softer ones home for the pan. They will collapse beautifully while a firm tomato might stand there resisting breakfast. Someone beside me always suggests leaving them raw. This chapter gives that person a place at the table too.
The two breakfasts here begin with the same tomato and go in different directions. One is bright, quick and best eaten while the toast can still crack. The other is a bowl that asks you to sit down. Neither needs an egg to feel complete. Both make use of the small amount of time before the day starts making demands.
Serves two. Put out two thick slices of bread, about 160 g in all, 300 g ripe tomatoes, one small garlic clove, 2 tablespoons olive oil, a small handful of parsley or basil, salt, black pepper and half a lemon. The lemon is for the table. If you have only thin bread, use four slices and be especially quick to eat them.
Cut the tomatoes into uneven small pieces and save their juice. Finely chop the garlic. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir just until it smells warm, then tip in the tomatoes and their juice. Let them bubble gently, stirring now and then. You want a loose, bright mixture whose largest pieces have softened, not a thick sauce that could have waited all afternoon. That may take six to eight minutes, but your eyes decide. Season with salt and pepper. Tear the herbs and stir most through after the heat is off.
