Wow, hi, hello. It’s been so long that I sort of forgot how to write. Like most of us, I’ve been dealing with a healthy dose of existential dread and therefore, buried myself in work. Work is something I know well and something I’m pretty good at so you know, feeling of control in an uncertain world, etc. etc. I realize this is probably the type of stuff news websites love to generalize about millennials but hey, I never claimed to be original. Anyway, I’m going to try again to be a whole person, with interests and hobbies, which brings us to tomatoes.

Earlier this summer, my dad was nice enough to come by and plant me a little vegetable garden. He planted me some beans, chiles, eggplants, and lots of tomatoes. We had picked up heirloom tomato seeds on a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee a few years ago; he planted five of those plants in my garden. And man, I may not have it all but I do have tomatoes for days. I froze a large number of them, to use during the year in lentils, curries, and sauces but I had to make at least one big batch of tomato soup with some fresh tomatoes.

I’ve been avoiding dairy so I thought I would use coconut milk instead of cream. Tomatoes are tart, sort of sweet and the coconut milk is sweet, so I added in a generous amount of garlic and one habanero pepper for a more savory, spicy note. Served with a side of sourdough grilled (vegan) cheese, it was perfection.

If you don’t want it too spicy, use only half a habanero and half or whole, remove the seeds. You can also use a less spicy chile, like Fresno or Serrano.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 8-10 tomatoes, halved and quartered

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 shallots, halved

• 1 habanero chile, seeds, and white pith removed (use half for less spicy)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 can coconut milk (save a couple of tablespoons to garnish)

• rice crackers to garnish (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 350 F.

On a baking sheet, place the cut tomatoes, shallots, habanero, and crushed garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper generously. Place in the oven for 45 mins to 1 hour.

Once the vegetables have been roasted, place them in a blender with coconut milk. Blend until smooth and check for seasoning.

Top with a little drizzle of coconut milk and crushed rice cracker. Serve with your favorite grilled cheese!