Family or guests will absolutely love this dish. It's a great dish to serve anytime but would make a fantastic brunch to serve with eggs.
Cherry Tomato Filling:
4 c. mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
1 heaping T. tomato paste
2 t. chopped fresh oregano
2 t. chopped fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
2 shallots, thinly sliced (not green onions)
3 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Drop Biscuit Topping:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 heaping T. baking powder
1 t. chopped fresh oregano
1 t. chopped fresh thyme
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) very cold, salted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 c. buttermilk
fresh basil leaves, for garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Tomato Filling: Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, garlic and shallots to a 12 inch cast-iron or oven-safe skillet. Drizzle in olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss; set aside while preparing the topping.
Drop Biscuit Topping: Combine flour, cheese, baking powder, oregano, thyme and salt in a food processor; pulse a few times to combine. Add butter; pulse until the dry ingredients and butter are mostly combined. (This can be done with a pastry cutter, as well.) Drizzle in buttermilk; pulse or stir in with a wooden spoon, until mixture just forms a dough. Do not to over-mix or biscuits will become tough when baked.
Using 2 spoons, drop 1/4 c. size balls of dough on top of the tomato mixture.
Bake in preheated oven until topping is golden and filling is hot and bubbling, 24 - 26 minutes.
Remove from the oven; let stand for 5 minutes.
Serve, garnished with fresh basil, if desired.
4-6 servings.