Grilled Tomatoes

When I was a little kid, my family spend a 3 year stint in California. I was very young at that time and have very few memories of our time there. One very distinct memory I do have, though, is the smell of wet tomatoes. I recall seeing my father standing in the garden we had in the back yard; he was watering the tomatoes with the garden hose. To this day, when I smell fresh tomatoes, I am transported back to our Cupertino house's yard.

We had a mini dinner party at our house a week ago. It was hot and I didn't want to heat up the house by using the oven. So, we grilled some fresh Copper River salmon (to die for!) and some grilled tomatoes. There's no sciene to the amounts used in the grilled tomato recipe; it's a pinch here and "to taste" there. You can't go wrong ... except if you don't make enough!

Simply Wonderful Grilled Tomatoes
Ingredients

• Beefsteak or large roma tomatoes (1 beefsteak per 2 people, 1 roma per person)
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper (fresh ground is best)
• Parmesan cheese (grated)
• Fresh basil, torn into small pieces

Directions

1. Wash the tomatoes and then slice them horizontally.
2. Remove the stems
3. Arrange tomatoes (cut side up) on cookie sheet or plate
4. Season with salt and pepper (to taste)
5. Generously coat BBQ grill with olive oil and preheat grill (about 400 degrees).
6. Place tomatoes (cut side down) on hot grill and close BBQ's lid.
7. Flip tomatoes over after 3 minutes.
8. Top with a pinch of basil leaves and then sprinkle with a couple pinches of parmesan cheese.
9. Close BBQ lid and allow cheese to melt (2-3 minutes)
10. Remove tomatoes from grill and serve.