Broiled tomato and mozzarella cheese fans

 

           Equally good as a side dish or a light lunch.

Makes 8 side-dish servings

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• ½ teaspoon leaf basilic, crumbled
• ¼ teaspoon leaf oregano, crumbled
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 package (8 ounces) mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 slices
• 4 large ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored

1. Stir together oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper flakes in medium-size shallow dish ; add cheese slices, overlapping slices if necessary, and turning to coat completely with oil.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Make 3 equally spaced vertical cuts in each tomato, starting from bottom and not cutting all the way through tomato ; insert a cheese slice into each cut.
5. Place tomatoes in shallow flame-proof baking dish ; brush with any remaining marinade.
6. Broil tomatoes 6 inches from heat until cheese is melted and lightly browned and tomatoes are heated through, about 6 to 8 minutes ; pour any pan juices over tomatoes before serving.

BON APPÉTIT