Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Roasted Tomatoes


This year I'm using a new method to preserve those extra tomatoes from the garden, which are plentiful this time of year. Since I no longer do canning, I had been just cutting up the tomatoes and freezing them in quart size bags. But since trying my first batch of roasted tomatoes, I am hooked on the intense flavors and the compact size of the finished product!

Here are the simple instructions.....





Put some Extra Virgin olive oil on the bottom of the pan, add sliced tomatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice and more olive oil. I use oregano, basil, minced garlic and a little salt. (Dried herbs work well here, because they help absorb the juice from the tomatoes.) The recipe said to cook at 400 degrees, but since I used a glass pan I did them at 375 degrees. Cook for somewhere between 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs. You will have to watch them towards the end, because when the juice cooks off they can burn easily, but you want them to caramelize and brown a bit.





This is one of my favorite black heirloom tomato, Nyagous, ready for roasting. They have a darkish red color with green shoulders....and the colors inside the tomato are even prettier! Since these are a fairly small tomato, I just quartered them. With larger tomatoes, I cut in chunks, and cherry tomatoes get halved. I'm always trying new tomato varieties, so this is a good way to use up those that don't quite live up to my taste standards, because even a mediocre tomato tastes great after it's been roasted.





Same tomatoes as above, after roasting. Can't you just smell that wonderful aroma? I did plenty of sampling as they came out of the oven. The intense, concentrated tomato flavor is comparable to those expensive sun dried tomatoes you can buy.





Two 11 x 16 pyrex pans yielded one quart of tasty product for the freezer. The roasted tomatoes can be used on pasta or meat, as a bread spread, salad dressing ingredient... or simply as a spoonful of fresh garden tomato taste in the dead of winter.

bon appétit!

27 comments:

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

It looks wonderful, what a great idea. I often roast tomatoes as a side dish but never as a preservation method.I'm sure gonna try it now. Nyagous is a true favorite of mine as well.

Greetings from Tyra in Waxholm

Petunia's Gardener said...

I've been freezing them too. Love your roasted suggestion. I'll try it! Thanks - Paula

ChrisND said...

I can just taste them. If we actually get a few tomatoes we will have to try this....our plants have many green tomatoes, but few have ripened. Oh, maybe the farmer's market is a good stop.

Susie said...

That's a great idea. They look delish!

sweetbay said...

I will have to try that too. What a great idea!

Catherine said...

They look tastey! Since I just plucked my second tomato I'm not sure if I'll get enough to try this out. And what about keeping the oven on for so long in the heat? Did you suffer at all in your house because of this?

I'm back from caring for Kimber and looking for a visit from you, so you can inspect my non-producing tomatoes! ;)

Roses and Lilacs said...

Roasted tomatoes sound wonderful. I will try that this weekend. I don't can anymore either but this sounds easy.
Marnie

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

The pictures and recipe have my stomach rumbling and my mouth watering. Thank you for sharing that with us here.

FlowerLady

Susan@Holly Grove said...

I've been making a lovely Italian tomato sauce for the freezer with my tomato glut. I think I'll try your roasted tomatoes as they look and sound delicious.

Dirt Princess said...

Wow! That looks great!

Curmudgeon said...

This sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Racquel said...

Oh yum! I can almost smell the aroma of them cooking with all those fragrant spices. :) Thanks for sharing another way to enjoy garden tomatoes during the winter.

Connie said...

Cat - Yes, this does heat up the kitchen! I have my oven downstairs which I can use on the really hot days.

Anonymous said...

I've canned...I've frozen...I've never roasted tomatoes...and I am so excited to see this!!
Thank you verrrrry much!
Smiles from Jackie

Jan said...

This is a wonderful idea, Connie! Unfortunately I don't have a bunch of tomatoes on hand to try your recipe with. I didn't have much luck this year with my 2 plants. I do like the sounds of the recipe though. I will definitely hang on to the idea, even if it's to try with just a couple of tomatoes to get a treat! I do apologize for not visiting you for quite some time. It seems harder and harder to keep up these days! I'm hoping when I'm bored, in the middle of winter, I'll feel more like leaving comments more often! Yum! I do love tomatoes;-)

Mrs. Mac said...

I too shall try this. We have some days when there are not quite enough tomatoes to process and this will be a good filler for winter meals.

Muhammad khabbab said...

Roasted tomatoes, seems to be a wonderful idea. They are looking so delicious in the post how will they relish actually.

Victoria Williams said...

What a great idea!

Lynn said...

Thank you for sharing this. I will definitely be giving it a try :) We have seven tomato plants this year, and they have been producing like mad. I've done soups and sauces, both canned and frozen. But the method I've used most this year for preserving is to dry them, then put them in jars and cover with olive oil. Delicious. Can't wait to try this roast and freeze method, too.

inadvertent farmer said...

Thank you, thank you...I was wondering what to do with all these tomatoes, I cannot make one more batch of sauce or soup or ketchup...I'm going to try this today! Kim

Anonymous said...

Thank you! I will try this!

Anonymous said...

Let me wipe the drool from my chin! Those roasted tomatoes look delicious.

joey said...

Count me in for this, Connie! Autumn hugs :)

Lynn said...

I hope you don't mind, but I linked to this post today. I love your roasted tomatoes! They're delicious :)

Linda Stubbs said...

Had to come over from Lynn's blog. It all looks so pretty. I told Lynn that tomorrow I am going to be buzy doing roasted tomatoes!!!!!!!! I tried it at the beginning of the summer, but I didn't put enough olive oil. I will tomorrow.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!!!!!!

We did Farmer's Market so I have 60 tomato plants.
Blessing, Linda

Andrea said...

What a great idea! It really sound delicious. This year I grew lots of tomatoes in pots since we don't have a veggie garden and we loved eating them so much.

Cathryn said...

I have roasted several batches and have had wonderful results. Served it over one of my 70 spaghetti squashes with a little parmesan--Thanks for the idea!