Roasted Tomatoes

This is a Sunday Night staple. They are addicting with a good sourdough baguette or foccacia.... can be used to construct different tapas, with goat cheese, or avocado, or bacon..., or as part of a roasted veggie sandwich with peppers and mushrooms and....well, they are out of this world.  I certainly didn't invent this recipe. There are variations available all over. I will walk you through how I do it and then you can make it your own or incorporate ideas from other cooks. You will need:

• tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• flat-leafed parsley
• garlic
• about 3 hours of your time, mostly just watching the oven.

In Maracaibo I use the Roma  (Italian plum or sauce) tomatoes which are often the only type available. I wait to have a good batch of almost too ripe tomatoes. The Roma tomatoes have fewer seeds than eating tomatoes and a good bit of natural sweetness. Here in NJ I found some smaller sweet tomatoes, about a third of the size of a regular on-the-vine tomato.

When I use the pear shaped Roma tomatoes I cut them in half, then scoop out the seeds and liquid. These little tomatoes seemed thick for their size so I sliced them in 3 or 4 parts. The Larger Roma tomatoes result in larger portions (1/2 tomato each). I thought these little guys would give a good snacking size, making it easier to portion.

Drizzle some olive oil in an oven proof mold. Place the sliced tomatoes in a single layer on the oil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle a bit more oil over the top. I always like to add a good amount of olive oil. Don't drown the tomatoes, but don't be stingy either.  The liquid which is left at the end of the roasting is a mixture of olive oil, tomato juice and seasonings which makes a great bread dipping sauce all by itself, and always gets sopped up along with the tomatoes.

Place the tomatoes in a low oven. I use 100 degrees Centigrade in our big commercial oven at home. Here I used 225 degrees Fahrenheit.  It's doesn't have to be exact. You know if your oven is hotter or colder than the norm. You want the process to be long and slow. You're not frying the tomatoes, just slo-o-o-w roasting them. Check on the tomatoes after an hour and turn them over in the oil. Check again after a second hour and do the same. If they seem too dry at either of these points you can add a bit more oil. After the second hour you can turn them again and put them back in for 10 minutes or so while you chop the parsley and garlic. The tomato pieces should look shrivelled when they are done, somewhat dried, but not leathery. You want them to still be a bit juicy.


For an 11" pyrex mold of tomatoes chop two cloves of garlic and a handful of flat-leafed parsley. Again, this is to taste. If you really like the garlicky taste, add more. Not too fond of parsley? Add less. But get ready to love the taste of the parsley/garlic combination in these tomatoes.

Take the tomatoes out of the oven and add the chopped parsley/garlic combination. Mix together, scraping up any caramelized bits on the bottom of the mold, and let them sit to cool before covering and saving in the refrigerator. They definitely benefit from a bit of a wait so the flavors can blend.

To enjoy their full flavor, take them out to warm to room temperature before serving.

There, that was easy, wasn't it? And it gives you a final product with a deliciously complex taste. Now you can do it anytime you like, with the variations you choose. They will keep for several days in a covered container in the refrigerator, if you can manage to save them that long.  This is one of the dishes you can make a day or two ahead if you are planning a big menu.

Enjoy!