12 ripe Italian tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces Kalamata olives, pitted
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Blanch the tomatoes in salted boiling water, remove, and shock in ice water. Peel the tomatoes and reserve the peel for the fried garnish.
Cut each tomato into four pieces and remove the inner seed core. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
Place the tomato slices on a rack, and bake for 1 hour in a 250 degree F oven.
Remove the tomatoes from the oven and cool. When the tomatoes are cool, finely dice them and place on paper towels to dry.
When drained, season the tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme and wine vinegar.
In a food processor, add the Kalamata olives and puree to a paste. Remove and set aside.
Place a layer of the tomato mixture into a 1-inch round ring mold and pack down. Place a very thin layer of black olive paste into the mold and pack down. Repeat 10 times.
Finish with 1 more layer of tomato and pack down. Just before you are ready to serve, heat the tians through in a 300 degree F. oven.
Preheat a fryer to 300 degrees F. Blot the reserved tomato skins with paper towels to dry them of any moisture.
Place the skins in the oil and fry just until the water comes out and the skins are crisp and golden. Do not brown skins.
Remove from the molds onto plates and top with fried tomato skins.