Green Beans, Red Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

Put the tomatoes into a roasting pan or ovenproof baking dish; they should fit snugly in a single layer.

Pour over enough olive oil to wet the fruit and to form a thin layer at the bottom of the dish.

Season generously with salt and black pepper, tuck in the bay leaves and sprinkle a little red wine vinegar over (a teaspoon will do).

Now leave in the hot oven for about thirty minutes, until the skins have started to blacken here and there and there is much juice in the dish.

Crush the tomatoes with a fork, check the seasoning, and correct it with a little salt and pepper if necessary.

Trim the beans and slice them thinly.

Steam for three or four minutes, until tender but still crisp and bright, then toss them with the tomato sauce.

Grate some lemon zest over the hot beans and their sauce.