Oven-Roasted Roma Tomatoes Two Ways
By: Herban Seeds
Published: Monday, August 1, 2011 - 2:08pm

Ingredients




60 Roma Tomatoes (Can use Grape or Cherry Tomatoes or your desired type and/or quantity of tomatoes)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Coarse, Freshly Ground or Cracked Pepper Medley (White, Green, Pink & Black Peppercorns)
Garlic Bulb (s)*
See Note Below

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 450°F. 2 Wash Romas in cold water and drain in a colander. 3 Cut tomatoes in halves, removing the stems and any hard cores. 4 Place tomato halves on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, jelly roll pan, or any similar baking sheet, cut side up. 5 Drizzle each tomato half with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh coarse-ground or cracked pepper. Coat them to your liking. 6 Roast for 30 minutes; remove from oven and cool on baking sheet. 7 Store in refrigerator or freezer, or use immediately. 8 Note: If desired, cut the tips off of each clove of a whole bulb of garlic, leaving cloves intact at the base. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper, encase loosely in foil and roast alongside the tomatoes. When roasted and cool enough to touch, grab the "root" end of the garlic bulb and squeeze upward. The roasted garlic cloves will come easily out of the cut ends in the form of a creamy garlic butter. Spread on bread and toast, place atop a steak or use in any dish you want intense garlic flavor. 9 This style of roasting yields a juicier roasted tomato which is perfect for soups. If you desire a drier tomato with less juice and a "meatier" texture, follow these directions: 10 Preheat oven to 225° 11 Prepare tomatoes as instructed above. 12 Roast tomatoes for 3 hours, or until they shrink considerably and have the texture of raisins. 13 This process yields a more shriveled, drier tomato with a little bit of juice left inside. You can adjust the length of roasting time (add or subtract) depending on a) the type of tomato you are roasting and b) the desired end result. Let your eyes be your guide! 14 This style of roasted tomato is great for thick sauces, spreads or paste or in any dish in which you need great tomato flavor with a reduced volume of liquid.

About


I had so many Roma Tomatoes in my garden this year, it was hard to believe unless you saw them. I gathered them every day and, even after eating and eating and giving to family and friends, had tomatoes to spare. I make a killer Roasted Tomato Basil Soup and I make it with these tomatoes. It could rival any restaurant's soup, so I've been told. I have used the roasted tomatoes immediately for the soup and I've frozen them in freezer bags. Both ways work exceptionally well for a great soup.