Fresh Tomatoes Straight from the Garden

My neighbor Mike spoils us by sharing his bountiful fresh produce from his garden.  A few years ago when he gave me a huge batch of Roma tomatoes, I found a simple (no seeding or removing skin) recipe for roasting them.  The flavor of roasted tomatoes is amazing!  I eat them right off the roasting pan!

Roasted tomatoes are sweet and caramelized and absolutely addictive!  If I can restrain myself from eating them all, they are great to add to pasta, seafood and meat entrees as well as hors d’oeuvres.

Last night I added the freshly roasted tomatoes to my Pesto Pasta & Chicken.  I added some toasted pine nuts and a little crushed red pepper for some kick and had a delicious easy dinner.

I also love the roasted tomatoes on bruschetta.  It pairs well with ricotta or goat cheese, fresh basil or mint.  If you know me at all by now, I love topping everything with a sprinkling of crushed red pepper for some added spice!

Roasting Roma tomatoes only takes a few steps.  Wash, dry and slice tomatoes, add seasonings and roast.   It’s as easy as that.  The prep goes quickly but it does take time in the oven.   You will want to plan this roasting fest when you plan on being home for a few hours.

Roasted Roma Tomato Recipe

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees.  I am fortunate to have a convection oven and am able to roast three pans at a time.  I evenly spread apart my three oven racks so the air can circulate around the pans.

You don’t need a convection oven to roast the tomatoes.  Convection oven or not, I would rotate the pans each hour of cooking if you are roasting more than one pan.  Roasting in the convection oven is quicker but each oven is different so you will have to start watching the tomatoes after two hours.  The recipe calls for 2-3 hours of roasting time.

Unless you have time to wash your tomatoes in advance, hand dry them with a dish towel.  Inspect each tomato for any bruised or inedible parts.

Line rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper. Slice tomatoes in half and place cut side up on the cookie sheet.

If any of the tomatoes are extra-large, quarter them so that the cut tomatoes are similar in size for even cooking. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and add salt & pepper.

Roast for 2-3 hours, depending on the consistency you would like.  I prefer the tomatoes to be a little charred and caramelized as shown below.

 

For use within a few days, store the roasted tomatoes in an air tight glass container.  If you prefer to store longer, place in glass container and cover with olive oil to preserve longer.  In either case, store in refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

What do you like to do with garden fresh tomatoes?