A recipe from “Cucina del Sole: A Celebration of Southern Italian Cooking” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.
Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, fully ripe but firm to the touch Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Ground or crumbled dried red chili 6 slices country-style bread 1 garlic clove (optional)
Preparation:
Have ready a charcoal fire or glowing wood embers in a fireplace. Set up a grill. Rinse and dry the tomatoes and set them on the grill about 3 inches above the coals. Grill or roast until they have softened and the skins are starting to split open. Remove the tomatoes, using tongs, before they turn totally soft and slip through the grill. Transfer the tomatoes to a serving dish and squash them lightly with a fork so that the juices run out a little. Immediately dress them generously with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and chili and mix the dressing into the tomato juices.
Toast the bread slices, over the embers if possible. If you wish, rub a cut clove of garlic over each slice. Set the toasts on plates, spooning the tomato sauce on top. Serve immediately.