Slow-Roasted Plum Tomatoes
Posted on September 25, 2009
Oh, dear roasted tomatoes, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways …
I could wax poetic about these slow roasted plum tomatoes for hours on end. They are sweet and tender, soft and perfect. And, yes, I ate the whole batch myself. In a day. They were just that good.
Tomatoes are part and parcel with summer. They scream of cool salads on hot summer evenings and sweet bites to snack on. But this summer wasn’t prolific with the ‘natos here. Late blight robbed Connecticut of most of the tomato crop. It wasn’t until just a few weeks ago that I finally spotted boxes of tomatoes. So, the first time I spotted plum tomatoes, I bought a bunch and rushed home to slow roast them.
Oh, were they fantastic. So fantastic that I bought more plum tomatoes in New Jersey and made them again.
You start with bright, brilliant, fresh tomatoes, sliced thinly and layered on a baking sheet. I let mine overlap slightly so I can fit the maximum amount on the tray.
Then they cook slowly, at a low temperature, shrinking as the juices evaporate. If you are lucky, some firm up like sun-dried tomatoes with really concentrated sweetness. Those ones I like to swipe from the tray before they can even get to the fridge. But once in the fridge, they get that little extra boost from the drizzle of balsamic vinegar … oh, it’s fab.
Here’s to hoping there are some sundried tomatoes at the farmers’ market this weekend …
Slow Roasted Plum Tomatoes
6-8 plum tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
dried basil
dried oregano
balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil (alternately, spray a baking sheet with cooking oil spray).
Slice the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick and place on the baking sheet in a single layer, overlapping slightly. Drizzle with olive oil (go light!). Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Cook for 2 1/2- 3 hours until the tomatoes are shrunken and darker in color.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, transfer to a storage container and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar (seriously, I do mean a little). Close the container and shake lightly. Store in the refrigerator.
NOTE: These tomatoes have many uses. Eat them alone. Put them on crackers with a sliver of cheese (think Romano or asiago). Chop them and add to pasta. Spread pesto on bread and lay a tomato and fresh mozzarella on top.
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11 Responses to “Slow-Roasted Plum Tomatoes”
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Those look excellent! I have so been in a roasted tomato mood lately.
love, love, love slow roasted tomatoes! gotta enjoy the fresh one’s while they are still around!
Those tomatoes look and sound scrumptious!
Delicious. Roasted tomatoes do give a completely different flavor. I have what is likely the last big batch here, and I think I’ll roast several of them to go with the eggplant I’m planning on (yes, its true, I’ve been eating eggplant many times a week….) The only thing with roasted tomatoes is that its hard to wait all that time while they cook!
Perfect timing! My farmbox started delivery plum tomatoes this week! And lots and lots of dill . . .
Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone!!
I’d like to try this. Here’s a dumb question: How dry do you let them get? Still a little moist and pliable? Do they ever dry crisp?
Maybe I’ll just have to try it and see…
Hey Mark,
Not a dumb question at all!
They do dry out and get crispy, if you let them go long enough. But the taste is just ok at that stage. I like them to be shrunken to about half their original size, dark red, still with a little juice but not juicy. Does that make sense?
S
[...] green heirlooms were ripening. Yea, whoops. So I had to get creative. Using the method from my Slow-Roasted Plum Tomatoes, I drew out the sweetness in the tomatoes in the oven. Then I used the method for roasting the [...]
Those tomatoes are so perfectly roasted! They look delicious and there are endless possibilities of how to use them! Yum!
Hi Sarah,
Nice meeting you today! Thanks for the blog network tip.
I love slow roasted tomatoes so much! I usually roast them with slices of garlic and a few sprigs of thyme.