Slow Roasted Tomatoes

In the month of April I planted three tomato plants: one Black Pearl cherry tomato, an Early Girl, and another bush-type tomato (which was interesting since I had never grown bush tomatoes before and, truth be told, picked it out at the nursery by mistake). I wondered whether three tomato plants would be enough to feed my family this summer. After all, some years I get bumper crops of big, red beauties, and some seasons I am very underwhelmed by their [lack of] production.


Fortunately, this year was a good one, and my family has had lots and lots and LOTS of tomatoes. It got to the point where I taught my 5 year old son how to pick the ripe ones, and I sent him out to the tomato bed with the basket everyday, because I was just plain tired of picking tomatoes. I'm not complaining. This is a good thing.

But as you may very well know, lots of tomatoes don't keep well on the counter or in the refrigerator. You have to DO something with them. And you only have a few days before they turn to mush. I refuse to put perfectly good tomatoes in the compost pile.

I've read that you can freeze fresh tomatoes whole, pulling them out of the depths of the freezer in the winter to prepare "almost-summery" sauces and soups. But handling freezing cold, rock-hard tomatoes in the month of January doesn't sound fun (or summery) to me. Perhaps in January, when fresh tomatoes are a distant memory, I will lament not going down that culinary road. But for now, I'm on a mission to use all my ripe tomatoes, and fast.

Enter Molly Wizenberg's book, A Homemade Life. I have already sung her praises once so will spare you further details about her genius. In her book, she shares a wonderful recipe for Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Coriander. Her recipe is so easy; it really only takes about 5 minutes of prep time and, if you do it right, hardly any mess at all.

This recipe is also perfect for using (or gracefully disposing of) any of your less fortunate tomatoes that happen to be misshapen, discolored, blemished, split, or slightly puckered from having sat in the fridge too long. Once they're roasted, no one will know (and neither will their taste buds). You can roast as many or as few tomatoes at a time as you desire. Eat them warm or put them in the fridge to add to salads, pastas, sandwiches... you name it! Here are the simple steps.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Coriander

Ingredients:
Fresh, ripe tomatoes (any variety and as many as you have on hand)
Olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
Ground coriander

For garnishing:
Fresh basil leaves

Directions:
Rinse tomatoes and remove stems
Cut medium and large tomatoes in half lengthwise.
(Leave cherry tomatoes whole).
Place cut tomatoes in a large mixing bowl; drizzle generously with olive oil.
Using hands, toss gently to coat tomatoes.


Dump tomatoes into an oven-safe baking dish. I prefer to use a glass pyrex casserole dish with a lid so that I can transfer the final product from oven to fridge without having to wash another pan. Turn tomatoes over so that cut sides face up; distribute evenly so tomatoes do not overlap. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and coriander.


Bake in a 250 degree oven for approximately four hours; feel free to adjust the bake time more or less depending on your personal preferences and time constraints. Your whole house will smell delicious while the tomaotes carmelize.

Remove from oven; garnish with fresh basil leaves just prior to serving. Serve warm or cold.
* I love roasted tomatoes paired with fresh mozzarella for a tangy twist on salad caprese.




Last month my book club read Molly Wizenberg's book, and we each prepared one recipe of hers to share at our meeting. This is the recipe I chose to bring. It was easy, free, delicious... and most importantly... I managed to use up about 27 tomatoes!

My good friend Greta is an amazing mother, cook, photographer, and writer. She recently blogged about our book club meeting and the recipes we prepared, including my slow roasted tomatoes. Her photos are much better than mine. Trust me. They are high art. You can (and should) visit her blog, Picnics in the Park, by clicking here.