Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumWriting about food: Molly Wizenberg's slow-roasted tomatoes in "A Homemade Life"
"The word happiness has many definitions. ... I'm quite certain, though, that if you looked it up ... what you'd see is a pan of slow-roasted tomatoes.
"I first tasted slow-roasted tomatoes one hot summer several years ago ... . I was in Oklahoma, staying with my parents for a few months, and one day, a glut of tomatoes from the garden sent us running for the cookbook shelf. ... The fruits were sweet and fat, coming ripe by the dozen. ... We'd scoured two shelves of cookbooks when we stumbled upon a technique called slow roasting. It called for the tomatoes to be halved lengthwise and put into a low oven for several hours, so that their juices went thick and syrupy and their flavor climbed to a fevered pitch. Following the loose guidelines, we sent two pans of tomatoes into the oven, and six hours later, we opened the door to find them entirely transformed. They were fleshy and deep red, with edges that crinkled like smocking on a child's dress. When we bit into them, they shot rich, vermillion juice across the table.
"Slow-roasting tomatoes may take time and planning, but straight from the oven, it's instant gratification. It's almost impossible to keep stray fingers out of them. They're like rubies in fruit form. And though they're delicious plain, their sweet acidity also plays remarkably well with other flavors, especially those dishes at the rich, robust end of the spectrum. I've served them alongside cheese souffles and plates of pasta with pesto. When teamed up with fresh goat cheese, basil, and arugula, they make for a delicious, if drippy, sandwich, and laid over the top of a burger, they're like ketchup for adults. You can whirl them in the food processor with some basil and Parmesan and turn them into a pesto of sorts. You can even make them into a pasta sauce. Just slice a handful into a bowl with some capers, slivered basil, and sea salt, and add splashes of balsamic and olive oil. ... And on nights when the stove is too much to consider, few things make for a happier picnic than a hunk of crusty bread, a wedge of blue cheese, and some slow-roasted tomatoes."
global1
(25,226 posts)I'll halve about 3 lbs of Roma's. Place the halves in a big bowl. Add EVOO, minced garlic and Italian spices and mix thoroughly. Then I place them on a sided roasting pan and put them in a 200 degree oven overnight. I use these roasted tomatoes as a pasta sauce and a pizza sauce.
Phentex
(16,330 posts)I would probably awaken to find I had eaten my pillow
japple
(9,809 posts)peel the tomatoes before roasting? Don't know if we have any Romas, but we planted San Marzano, so I'll try it with those.
global1
(25,226 posts)I imagine you could peel them but I like them with the peels. San marzano's should roast up good. Just remember to use a cookie sheet with raised sides. Roma's don't have a lot of juice and are meatier. The san marzano's are juicy and though it will concentrate it will ooze. A flat cookie sheet will not contain the juice and it will get all over your oven. Let me know how they turn out. P.S. - season with some salt to taste.
japple
(9,809 posts)Lifters, Cherokee Purples and (I think) Celebrity. I guess those are better for canning, but we canned so many last year and I don't need that many. I could use for spaghetti sauce or make salsa, but our peppers haven't started to come in in large numbers yet.
global1
(25,226 posts)I always get a high yield of Roma's - so that's why I work with them. Also - usually Roma's are nominally priced during the non-growing season.
All I can suggest to you is experiment with other varieties of tomatoes and see what works best for you. If you find a variety that turns out better - report back here as I'd like to try it.
One other thing I do after I roast the tomatoes - I'll pack some up in vacuum bags for use at a later date. It's a great treat to take out a bag in the cold of winter and have a summer tasting experience.
japple
(9,809 posts)we'll probably be looking for more ways to use them up! This sounds awesome AND easy.
japple
(9,809 posts)side up, sprinkled with EVOO, salt, pepper, tiny bit of dried Italian herbs. Put in 200 degree oven and started roasting. After 3 hrs., they were still too juicy, and we had to leave for a couple of hours, so we just left them in the oven until we got back. Of course we were later getting back than we'd planned and the tomatoes looked a bit like raisins, but they taste divine and we added them to our spaghetti last night. WOW! What a huge flavor concentration.
Next time, I'll use larger tomatoes and will try to do them when I'll be home all day. I am excited about the possibilities.
Thanks for posting this (and other literary food passages.)
betsuni
(25,380 posts)And thank YOU for posting about your tomatoes! Today I'm going to a farmers market and can't wait to get my hands on good tomatoes.