The best recipes from the kitchen of The Real Matt Daddy.

Grilled Tomatoes with Basil (or Grilled Dilled Tomatoes)

You will need several tomatoes of the 2-3inch size variety.  They should be ripe, yet still firm.  Mushy tomatoes will not work well.  Cherry tomatoes can be used, but it will be more difficult to prepare.
 You will also need plenty of fresh basil leaves and 2-3T of extra virgin olive oil.  The utensils you will need are a very sharp knife (a steak knife will work if it has a good point on it, otherwise, a sharp paring knife can be used) and sharp-pointed skewers (wood or metal) for grilling.

Advanced Preparation - If you are using wooden skewers, you will want to soak these in water for at least an hour.  Preheat your grill for direct cooking.

Lay the tomato on its side with the stem pointing away from you.  Orient your paring knife so that the blade is pointed straight down at the belly of the tomato and the flat side of the knife is facing you.  Plunge the knife into the belly of the tomato to make a "pocket" for your basil leaves.  The cut should be roughly 3/4"-1" and go about 3/4 of the way through.

Fold 2-3 basil leaves in half and tuck them into this pocket being very careful not to squish the tomato.  You can use the end of a skewer to help tuck them in.  Repeat for all tomatoes.

Place 3 tomatoes per skewer by pushing the pointed end of the skewer through the tomato and the basil leaves (I recommend placing the point of the skewer into stem area and pushing through).  If you are using wooden skewers, I recommend using two skewers for each group of tomatoes.  Place the kabobs on a dish that is easily transported to your grill.  Before going outside, brush both sides of the tomatoes with the olive oil.  Grill over direct heat for 8-12 minutes.  Tomatoes should become soft and juicy.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

For Grilled Dilled Tomatoes (from the book The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen)
Follow the recipe above, but skip the "pocket" step and the basil.  Just grill the tomatoes brushed in oil and sprinkle on plenty of fresh dill (or dried if fresh is unavailable) after they have reached your plate.

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