In search of the sun: Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

After spending days outside in the gloriously warm sun, working on the garden, walking my dog, and sitting on the deck, yesterday turned cold and miserable. The kind of cold and miserable that requires long pants, socks and the heat turned back on. That depressing kind of miserable where you could stay under the covers and read all day.

But last night I rallied and spent much of the day going through the 30 or so days of foodblogs.com and RSS feeds that I've been too 'busy' to look at. One posting was by one of my favourite bloggers, David Lebovitz, who lives in Paris and is already eating real tomatoes. Except in his post, they weren't really ripe enough, so he chose to roast them. I've been tempted to make Oven-Roasted Tomatoes for months, but yesterday's doom and gloom make me yearn for the return of the sun.

Oven roasting tomatoes is a superb return on investment. For two glorious hours, the house smells of olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme. And then you get to eat them.

I've never been a fan of store-bought tomatoes, but roasting them brings out every possible bit of taste they are capable of. Simply thinly slice some garlic, add some fresh rosemary and thyme (I have rosemary growing on my windowsill, but used dried thyme) salt, olive oil and pepper — toss your tomatoes in and that's it. (Roasting tomatoes with salt brings out their flavour, so don't skimp.)

After about an hour they were technically done, very soft and wrinkly, but they didn't look roasted, so I left them in for the second hour. Lebovitz says you can't really over-roast them, and I am a Lebovitz believer, so I roasted them for another half-hour, then turned the oven off to finish them.

 These are roasted tomatoes.

 And these...

We ate them spooned over baguettes with lovely feta cheese and fresh cracked black pepper. Oh, and a glass of Cabernet. The Cab was meant for a Tuscan experience. It tasted sweet and full and achingly good paired with this meal. My mental clouds parted and I felt as though I were basking in the sunshine even though the rain still poured. That's how good this meal was.

We still have half a baguette left for tonight's dinner, but I think some of these will be saved to serve over pasta, on the deck, in the sunshine. Whenever it comes back.

And after last night, I have hope that it will...

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Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

From David Lebovitz – http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2012/05/oven-roasted-tomatoes-tomato-recipe/

I didn't do anything to this recipe except use extra garlic and dried thyme (about 1/2 tsp).

Makes one pound

2 tbsp                                       olive oil

1 clove                                      garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

8 to 10 branches                    fresh thyme

                                                  sprigs of fresh rosemary

                                                  salt and freshly cracked pepper

1 lb.                                          tomatoes, (8 small or 4 medium-sized)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pour the olive oil into a shallow baking dish or pan and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and salt and pepper.

Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally; use a sharp knife to remove the stems. Toss the tomatoes with the oil and seasonings; lay them cut side down in the dish.

Bake for two hours, or until the tomatoes are completely softened and wilted, and start to wrinkle. Depending on the tomatoes, they may take longer to cook.

Storage: The tomatoes will keep for about five days in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to six months.

Notes: This recipe can easily be increased. The important thing is to use a baking dish or pan big enough so that they tomatoes are not too crowded. You want room between them for the moisture to escape, which concentrates the tomato flavour. The herbs can vary as well; basil, oregano, or marjoram all pair nicely with tomatoes.

Printable Oven-Roasted Tomatoes