Moonblush - again and again

Is there anything as beautiful as a moonblush? Come to think of it, I am not really sure I know what it means: does it refer to that fleeting moment when the moon recognizes the truth behind her story and turns all red with sweet embarassement? Or does it refer to her pinkish cheeks when her lover starts peeling the clouds away from her pearly, inviting, full body? In both instances, it takes time for the moon to turn into a soft pink lady... So be patient, take out the deckchair and sit in your garden in the last warm hours of the spring days if you want to have the slightest chance of catching her breathtaking beauty.

The moon and her perfect circular shape landed in our round plates, a sort of visit in disguise. She sent me so many half moons of tiny cherry tomatoes that blushed away under the heat of the grill that I almost felt I had to blush to honor such an appetizing view. To help the fruits on their way to tastiness, a few touches of magic herbs added the needed extra layer of warm perfume and pungent texture - dried oregano from south Italy, freshly milled black and red peppercorns and salt flakes from Maldon. Is it summer yet? And where is the swimming pool?

The sexy little beauties were all lined up in our oven-proof dish, ready to undergo the proof of fire under the benevolent orders of their big, welcoming mother perched high in the sky, showing red cheeks of pride, of course!

The recipe is taken from Nigella Lawson's Internet site, but was simplified with much shorter blushing time under the grill - up to you to play with your little tomatoes - and you will see that we did not refrain from shifting things around, mainly because I had no idea where the cookbook was in the moving boxes... Is this a bad excuse? Yes. Ok, I am blushing now:

INGREDIENTS

500g (about 24) on-the-vine cherry or other baby tomatoes

2 teaspoons Maldon salt or 1 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar (we forgot that...oops)

1 teaspoon dried thyme (we used dried oregano)

2 x 15ml tablespoons olive oil (ah, don't forget the olive oil!) 1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. 2. Cut the tomatoes in half and sit them cut side up in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with the salt, sugar, thyme and olive oil. 3. Put them in the oven, and immediately turn it off. Leave the tomatoes in the oven overnight or for a day without opening the door. Credits: Flickr

P.S. Why "again and again"? Because I already told you about my love for this small but great recipe :-) I cannot get enough...