Thursday, September 24, 2009

Roasted Tomatoes

I love to roast as a way to preserve over canning because the tomatoes taste better and canned tomatoes from the market are inexpensive. I don't think I could find a jar of locally roasted tomatoes for <$1.00 but if you have a lead on a store that carries them for that price, I'm there. I did can this year because I had a very plentiful harvest and I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford all of the olive oil required to roast a thousand tomatoes.

I've had a few requests for this tomato recipe so here goes...


Pull them off the vines and rinse. There's close to a hundred tomatoes in the tub below and you'll use that many to obtain two to three pints of tomatoes. (depends on size of course. I use the smallish Roma's for this recipe)


Add generous amounts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar,kosher salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, and a touch of oregano. I used fresh herbs because I have them available right now but dried herbs work just as well. Don't be afraid to experiment. I'm positive you can't go wrong unless you burn them.



oh, and don't forget the garlic -very important, but not as important as the balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vingar is the reason why the tomatoes pop with flavor in your mouth.


Make sure to swish the 'maters around in the oil/herb mixture so they get a good coating. Turn them flat side down and let them sit for 30-45 minutes to marinate



Bake them for about 45-1 hr at 425 degrees until they look like this:



and then flip and cook them until they look like the photo above. When you flip them they will feel like mush. Don't be tempted to quit at this stage because the tomatoes will be mushy and a bit watery. Roasting the other side really seals in the flavor and texture. The second roasting doesn't take long so be on the lookout.

Let them cool and then put them the storage container of your choice and freeze. I added a little extra olive oil for preservation (that's entirely optional) and used mason jars because I have plenty. I've had another jar in the fridge for two weeks now and If I had to guess, I say it will last a really long time because of the olive oil.



And after all of that hard work...


It's time to eat!

13 comments:

  1. Yum yum! Totally my favorite way to preserve the 'mater harvest (somebody else's harvest, but whatever).

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  2. pretty amazing! the photos are super helpful and I especially love your little warnings. thanks for sharing.

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  3. 'm totally drooling all over my keyboard...
    you domestic diva.
    very informative. thank you :)

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  4. Chandelle, is that how you do it? I bet yours are really good since you have the magic touch with food. I do too but you cook more often than I do.

    Julia, I was worried about too many pictures but as they say, a picture is worth a thousands words and since I'm stingy with words, the pictures do a fine job.

    G, I'm one of many women you know who are domestic divas. How'd you get so lucky to have such talented friends?

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  5. I so want to grow tomatoes so I can try this. My mouth has been watering since you have us a sample. Someday.

    Is that last photo of tomatoes on eggs and an English muffin?

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  6. I do different seasonings (thyme, fennel, a pinch of lavender, etc.) and I don't use balsamic (which I just don't like, for whatever reason), but the method is pretty much the same.

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  7. Derek,

    It's a grilled chicken breast topped with garlic cheddar cheese and tomatoes on a StoneGround bun.


    Chandelle, you don't like balsamic vinegar? What a shame.

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  8. I think I was ruined on the fake stuff as a child. I did have the real, syrupy, aged stuff once, and it was amazing, but it's quite out of my price range, so I stick with other vinegars for now.

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  9. I settle for the mid priced stuff. The world market brand isn't horrible but I wouldn't use a brand like Heinz.

    I keep meaning to try the Spectrum brand sold at WF's.

    But you are correct, the good stuff is 'rood.

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  10. "I'm positive you can't go wrong unless you burn them."

    What about adding maple? Or, watermelon? Or, spearmint? ;)

    Sometimes when I hear "you can't ruin (or break) it", I take that as a challenge.

    I'm not in the vinegar discussion mood right now, since I've been using it for 3 days to take off hard water deposits of the tub & tile during remodeling. Grrrr. I'm sure you make fine meals.

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  11. I was just at chandelle's website salivating and decided to take a peek at yours, and now my stomach is growling. I feel inspired to work harder on our garden next year. I love tomatoes. I eat them like apples. But roasted tomatoes look delicious, too.

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  12. I hope we get more tomatoes, so I can try that. The last batch I picked went to salsa.

    So you don't have to process them or anything?

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  13. OK- I missed the "and freeze" part.

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