Slow Roasted Summer Tomatoes
Freeze these sweet delights to enjoy the wonderful taste of summer all year.
Use about 5 lbs. of ripe tomatoes picked at their peak in late summer. Roma or
meaty tomatoes like beefsteak work best. Cut romas in half lenghtways
or beefsteak in 1" thick slices and place cut side up on large
foil-lined cookie sheets or jelly-roll pans which have been brushed with
olive oil.
Mix 1 cup olive oil with 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar and flavouring to
your taste: salt, pepper, thyme, basil, garlic, or
whatever. I just use the oil and vinegar and let the tomatoes do
the rest!
Drizzle with olive oil mixture and pop into the oven. Roast at 300F (275F in convection oven) for
about 4 hours. Times vary depending on the ripeness and variety of tomatoes. Tomatoes
should be less than half their original thickness and dark reddish
brown. We like to wait until they get crispy around the edges.
Serve warm or at room
temperature. To store the tomatoes, refrigerate for up to a week
or put in freezer for a few months. Before freezing, I layer them with plastice
wrap so I can take out a few at a time. They are great in
sandwiches!
Don't throw out the tomato oil, it will add extra flavour to salads or any dish that requires olive oil.
Special thanks to our market customer, Peter, for the original recipe. It is now our main method of preserving tomatoes.