For years I shared an apartment in Greece with my friend Sarah. If the walls could have talked, they would have plenty to tell about our late-night conversations. We cooked, laughed, gossiped and watched whole seasons of TV shows into the small hours. One lesson I learned quickly was to avoid discussing worries when I was tired.
Here’s a typical tired-night exchange: me: “Oh no, I’ve got to go to the tax office tomorrow before work. I’ll be exhausted. There’ll be a huge queue and I’ll be late.” Sarah: “Don’t be silly, it’ll be fine.” Me: “No, everyone will be pushing and maybe I’ll miss a form and have to go back. It’ll be awful.” Inevitably I imagined the worst.
By morning the panic had always faded and the world looked normal again. I still sometimes overreact when tired, so now I try to follow a personal rule: don’t tackle tricky things when you’re exhausted. It doesn’t always work. A few days ago I tried making veggie burgers that turned out differently to how I’d pictured them. They weren’t terrible, but I felt annoyed at the time and frustrated about the ingredients I’d carried home on foot and the effort I’d put in.
Afterwards Mr. Scrummy and I went for a walk and I began grumbling about small things—finding a recipe for the next day, not being able to locate ricotta without a car, and the general stress of not having settled into a normal routine. Everything felt bleak in that moment, much like those midnight conversations with Sarah.
Time to breathe and make something reliably simple. Enter slow-roasted tomato and ricotta bruschetta—barely adapted from a recipe in UK Delicious magazine. It’s perfect when you don’t want to wrestle with unfamiliar kitchen gear or hunt for obscure ingredients.
The method is simple: toss mixed baby tomatoes with good olive oil, crushed garlic, crushed fennel seeds and a pinch of sugar, then slow-roast them for an hour until they’re golden and sticky. Char-grill slices of crusty bread, mix lemon zest into ricotta, then spread the lemony ricotta on the toasted bread, spoon over the tomatoes and their juices, scatter with fresh basil and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a grind of salt and pepper. It’s one of the most satisfying little snacks I’ve made recently.
How do you react when plans don’t go your way? Do you panic a little like me when you’re tired, or stay calm and carry on? If you’re the latter, I’d be grateful for lessons.
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slow-roasted tomato & ricotta bruschetta
Ingredients
- 10 ounces mixed baby tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus a little extra for drizzling
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 4 slices fresh crusty bread
- fresh basil, to serve
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line a baking tray with parchment. Toss the tomatoes with the oil, crushed garlic and crushed fennel seeds, add a pinch of sugar, then spread them on the tray and bake for 1 hour until golden and sticky.
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While the tomatoes roast, mix the lemon zest into the ricotta. When the tomatoes are ready, set them aside to cool slightly and char-grill the bread on both sides on a hot griddle or frying pan.
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Spread each toast with the lemony ricotta, spoon over the roasted tomatoes and their juices, scatter fresh basil leaves, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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