Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
The Mediterranean girl in me loves vegetables… with a special place for tomatoes. Not any tomato though. The tomato that actually tastes like a real tomato. Have you ever wondered what happened to the tomato flavor? The tasty ones are either the small cherry category or the heirloom ones… but sadly, anything in between, has kept a nice shiny and interesting shape but lost all what the tomato had to offer.
If you are interested in knowing a little more about the tomatoes and what in the world happened to them I recommend this article.
Tomatoes don't need to be sad and unattended for in the fridge. If your kids are like mine and won't eat mushy tomatoes this slow roasting technique might come handy. It brings up rich aromas, playful tomato flavors and umami of course!
It takes some time but it is worth it. It is not active time... So you'll have many hours dreaming about the endless possibilities.
The oven roasted tomatoes keep for a week in the fridge and make great unexpected addition to simple dishes like mujaddara. I also tried it over pasta with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh baby arugula and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Delicious!!
Bon Appétit!
Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
recipe credits: Rafaella Sargi
Yields 1 cup of oven roasted tomatoes
Ingredients
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Directions
You will need one baking sheet and one small air tight container for storage.
Heat the oven to 250F / 120C
Pour one teaspoon of olive oil on the baking sheet and lightly spread it with your hand. Place the halved cherry tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet. Make sure they fit on a single layer. Sprinkle the chopped garlic and fresh thyme over the tomatoes. Evenly drizzle ¼ cup of olive oil over the tomatoes. Season with the salt, sugar and black pepper.
Let the tomatoes roast in the oven for 2 ½ hours. Turn of the oven and keep the tomatoes in the oven for an additional 90 minutes.
Remove the tomatoes from the oven. You can use them directly or store them with their cooking juices in an airtight container for up to a week.
Recipe adapted from Year-Round Roasting / Williams-Sonoma
