SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES


If you are anything like me, you find yourself drooling over the huge piles of late summer produce at the market. I am scarfing down peaches, tomatoes, and pluots like they are going out of style. I guess that is the point... these delights of summer are not gonna to be around for long. So let's talk more about preserving. We made pickles last go around, now it's time for preserving tomatoes!

I love the rich, sweetness of an oven-roasted tomato. And I am particularly drawn to the caramelized taste of this slow roasted version. I hope you like it too!




INGREDIENTS
(printable recipe)

  • 2 pounds fresh tomatoes (I am addicted to Dry Farmed Early Girls - they may not look fancy, but the flavor is unbeatable in my opinion)
  • olive oil
  • sea salt
  • optional: 1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (or the lowest setting). Slice small tomatoes in half and spread them out over a metal baking sheet. (If you are using big heirlooms, cut them into quarters or even eighths.) Lightly drizzle olive oil over the tops of the tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with sea salt. And I like to sprinkle on a bit of sugar too, just to add to that caramely goodness.

Check your tomatoes after a couple of hours and see what you think. I have read about people cooking tomatoes in this fashion and leaving them in the 200-250 degree oven for anywhere from 1.5 to 6 hours. I found that they are just right for me after about 3 hours.

You can go ahead and eat the roasted tomatoes right away - they are hard to resist. But if you want to keep a taste of summer for a cold autumn day, place the roasted tomatoes in a jar, cover them with olive oil and keep in the fridge until later.

Enjoy!




36 comments:

  1. They must taste wonderful and have a concentrated flavor, yummy!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Thanks Rosa! The flavor is really deep and lush - yum!
    Take care,
    E

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  3. These served with some burrata, topped with a little bit of pesto...heaven!

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  4. Adrianna,
    Funny you say that... I tossed some in my pesto pasta for lunch today and it was damned good:)But I haven't had these little guys with burrata yet. I'm all over that!
    -E

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  5. I think I am definitely going to do this. Having them jarred in the refrigerator sounds great. I love any kind of vegetables roasted...the house smells so good.

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  6. Erin - these look absolutely divine! I bet it is hard to eat just one since they have that sweet caramelized flavor. I am dying to make tomato jam and I bet roasting them would make the jam even better. Love the photos! Hope you have a great week ahead!! :)

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  7. I'm waiting for the last of my tomatoes to ripen in my yard. I love roasting them like this so they get candy-sweet.

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  8. Sarah, I so recommend roasting tomatoes this way. It couldn't be easier and having that jar of goodies in the fridge it super convenient for tossing together all sorts of dishes - pasta, crostini, etc or even just to eat plain;)

    Hey Lisa, it is hard to resist eating the whole jar! In fact I need to get back to the market to buy a lot more tomatoes to store more for winter. Oh tomato jam...yum! I've never made it. And I think you are so right about roasting the tomatoes first.
    Thanks again for the inspiration!

    -Erin

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  9. this looks very appetizing,
    I love first photo...I see you got yourself a new background,wooden planks or a table?
    looks great!

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  10. wow, that's exactly what I imagine when I think roasted tomatoes
    Yummy & Tasty

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  11. I could eat tomatoes in any form until the cows come home. I love slow roasted tomatoes for brunch. I enjoy your blog and pictures and thanks for stopping by mine! I'll also be back!

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  12. Hey M, yep... we just built a new desk with old planks from the salvage yard. I have a nice new work space and am totally inspired!

    Malgo and Julie, Thanks so much for stopping by!

    -E

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  13. Love the new desk. And photos are awesome (especially the 1st one).

    We've also been eating plums, grapes, and pears like crazy. It's like that every summer!

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  14. It's been a while since I've made it to the farmers' market - two Thursdays ago to be exact. I'd better get moving before it's too late!

    I love the simplicity and freshness of your style of cooking Erin. It add just enough to bring out the real flavor of the main ingredient.

    Have a good one!

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  15. Hey Jenn, I am loving the desk too. I have always wanted a big work area with plenty of room to spread out.. now I've got it:)
    Let's keep eating those summer fruits while we can, right?

    Jamie, Thanks so much for your nice words. I always think the ingredient should take center stage with very little fuss. Your comment made my day.

    -E

    Thanks,
    E

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  16. This is such a great way to preserve tomatoes. I roast them in a similar way and then freeze them. They are delicious served on pizza.

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  17. Karen, when you freeze your roasted tomatoes, do you just plop some in a freezer bag? I would love to give that a try.
    Thanks so much,
    E

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  18. I didn't get to do tomatoes this year. But I do love the deep red cherry tomatoes I got from my brother in law one year. They ended up scrumptious. I ate them like candy, what a treat! Thanks for the reminder!

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  19. Oh yummy yum. A few weeks feels like forever when you talk in terms of fresh tomatoes. I so enjoyed the wide variety of tomatoes in my father's garden in Minnesota. While he didn't grow any yellow pear tomatoes this year (which I love), he did grow chocolate cherries, which have a gorgeous color, and garden peaches, which have a fuzzy peachy skin and are colored a lovely yellow/pink/orange. Along with many others, all as equally delicious.

    I wish I had more time to appreciate farmers' markets and fresh produce right now, but it's thesis crunch time and I always seem to be sitting in front of my computer, staring at tables and figures and endless words. Thankfully it will all be over soon!

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  20. UstabahippieSeptember 14, 2011

    JUST what I've been looking for! I'm so allergic to fresh tomatoes and can't stop eating them. So these will be great, no allergies when they're cooked. thanks

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  21. I did this yesterday because my fridge randomly freezes things and it got the cherry tomatoes. They oozed so much that I deglazed the baking sheet when I was done and used it to make a sauce for the pasta salad they went in. So good!

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  22. Olinda - it may not be too late. I just bought another huge batch of my favorite Dry Farmed Early Girls from Santa Cruz and am roasting them up right now:)

    Emma, Lucky you that your dad grows such awesome tomatoes. I am jealous! And good luck with your thesis. What are you working on when you're not sleuthing new delicious chocolates?

    Ustabahippie - yippee! Glad to be of help. Enjoy!

    Blitherypoop, I love that you are making the most of things! Even with that freezing fridge:)

    -Erin

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  23. I'm currently studying eastern white pine height growth, woop! It involves lots of stats, but also some artistic flair - I got to use hemispherical photography in my study. Thank you, expensive Canon 5D Mark II that I don't get to keep:(

    I'm also working on finding a job... woop!

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  24. Emma, that's so rad! Now I really get the depth of your interest in nature! And hemispherical photography...very cool.
    -E

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  25. I am doing just that with the late summer produce. I don't want to see it go. Keeping some slow roasted tomatoes is a great plan!

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  26. oh yes. dry farmed dirty girls are the best. oh, erin. such beautiful photos. thanks for continuing to inspire me! i miss you.

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  27. Lisa, I hope you give the tomatoes a try. I think it will be such a treat to have a bite of summer when it's cold and dark in the coming months:)

    Phyllis, I miss you too! Cannot wait to get together and eat, chat and maybe even take pix? xxxxoooo

    E

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  28. This is such a wonderful way to eat and preserve tomatoes! And I absolutely love the way you styled the first photo!

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  29. Hi Erin! I love all of the options available to preserve seasonal produce. I've been taking advantage of canning and freezing, and I will definitely try roasting the tomatoes. I have to imagine they'd freeze well after roasting. Have you tried this?

    Hopefully this comment will make it to you. Since I've moved over to WordPress, my ability to comment on Blogger blogs hasn't been so great. *Fingers crossed*

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  30. I doubt that I'd get to preserve the roasted tomatoes because I'd probably just start eating them all right away. They look delicious!

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  31. Janine, Thanks!

    Lori, So nice to hear from you:)

    I know what you mean about the great array of preserving options... I am having the best time canning, drying, jamming, pickling... these days. I can see that grandmothers and great grandmothers were on to something easy and delish!

    Stephanie, We are gobbling them straight from the jar daily and I'm not sure how long our stash will last;) Paul is taking roasted tomato, mozzerella, and pesto sandwiches for lunch every day. Yum!

    -Erin

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  32. Just found your blog through Pinterest! Your photography is just beautiful.

    Roasted tomatoes are one of my favorite things ever!

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  33. Ooh...yum! Just the thing to do with the mounds and mounds of those dry farmed early girls that are in my fridge (I was overly ambitious when I was at the B-bowl a little while back)! Now that it's all rainy and chilly, it'll be great to have the oven on for a while...

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  34. Wow! I have made so many batches of these! Thanks for the fantastic recipe! It's a great way to use all the tomatoes up from the garden!

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  35. Elyse, Thanks for the note. It always love to hear how recipes work in other people's kitchens. I'm so glad you are enjoying this technique as much as we do! I admit, I keep making batch after batch as long as I am finding nice ripe tomatoes at the market. I've been tossing the roasted tomatoes into pastas, stews, and soups with abandon.
    -E

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  36. I just whipped up a tray to put in the oven. Looks delish! Thanks.

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So good to hear from you... I appreciate each and every note you leave for me!

Thanks,
E