Roasted Hassleback Caprese

So while this might not look very pretty it was really yummy. I decided to make Caprese, but with tomatoes cut like hassleback potatoes! And then because I was feeling ambitious (and because it's been really cold here and a warm meal sounded better) I decided to roast them. I took two medium ripe tomatoes and sliced them sideways, but left them slightly attached, so all of the pieces formed one slit tomato (see below left). Then I removed some of the guts to make them less watery. I also tend to not like tomato guts in anything I eat so I alway try to remove them before serving or cooking. I set the tomatoes upside down, with the slits facing the cutting board to let some of the access liquid drain as I was preparing the cheese and basil. I bought buffalo mozzarella, but it was preserved rather than fresh. In retrospect this was a good idea since the preserved melts a lot better than the fresh would have. I sliced it into thin pieces and then stuck it into the slits of the tomatoes with a basil leaf. As I cut into the mozzarella the pieces got larger and larger until some were sticking out at weird angles. The melting of these pieces is what led to the tomatoes falling over under the weight of the cheese. I realized afterwards that I should have cut the larger pieces in half to have more uniform cheese slices. I'll do this next time. Before I put them in the oven I sprinkled balsamic vinegar over them and also added a bit of tuscan seasoning. Then I put them in the oven at 400F for 40 minutes. They turned out really really yummy. They were super cheesy and the tomatoes cooked perfectly. They were quite messy to eat, but overall a really satisfying dinner.