Author Notes
This is a recipe I modified from a Jamie Oliver recipe - Limoni di amalfi cotti al forno, in his Jamie's Italy. I will be honest, the variations weren't that many. He used fresh tomatoes, I used oven-dried; I added olives and he didn't....Regardless of the source, I love the simple but well balanced flavours of this dish...and who doesn't love food baked in 'fruit' bowls? —Kitchen Butterfly
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Ingredients
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3 nice yellow juicy lemons
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100g Fresh Mozzarella cheese, in 12 slices
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12 oven-roasted or soft sun-dried tomatoes
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12 black olives
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12 large or 24 small Basil leaves
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6 slivers of anchovies
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1 – 2 dried red chilies, crumbled (optional)
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French bread to make crostinis
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Olive oil or semi-conserva from roast tomatoes
Directions
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Line an oven tray with greaseproof paper and preheat your oven to 210 degrees C. Wash and dry lemons and slice pointy ends off the top and base, being careful not to slice right through – you want the lemons to collect the cooking juices and not leak away.
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Slice each lemon in the middle to give two halves. Using a knife, cut round the edge of the lemon and try your best to scoop out the inside being careful not to pierce the base (Keep the excised innards for other lemony delights)
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In each lemon half, place a slice of mozzarella in. Add 2 large or 4 small basil leaves on top. Follow that with 2 pieces of oven-roasted tomatoes and stud with 2 olives. Add a sliver of the anchovies, a sprinkling of crumbled dried chilies and finish off with another layer of mozzarella.
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Set all the lemon halves on the tray and place in the centre of your oven.
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Bake for 10 - 15 minutes till the cheese melts.........eat with some delicious french bread drizzled with olive oil and toasted.
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