OK, so I know it’s a little out of season to be talking about roasting. But as I’ve mentioned before my barbecue access is limited so I need to make do with the cooking tools I have, in this case my oven. That said my recipes can easily be adapted for the grill (just cover the pans with tin foil and be sure to turn often to avoid burning).
Roasting is one of my favourite ways to enjoy vegetables, especially tomatoes. It’s such an easy way to salvage ones that are overripe and no longer salad worthy (for me, squishy tomatoes = yuck). And roasted tomatoes are so versatile. You can serve them cold in salad, over rice or pasta, in grilled cheese, pureed for sauce or soup (my choice)…the list goes on. So without further ado, here are my 3 easy steps.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
Step 2: Wash and slice tomatoes (I used four of medium size, you can use as many as your pan holds). Place them on the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, along with your favourite seasonings if desired (fresh or dried will work – I opted for a 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil and
experimented by including five green onions, too). If you’re using cherry or grape tomatoes you can leave them whole and toss them in a bowl before layering on the pan.
Step 3: Roast in the oven for a minimum of one hour or as long as eight. (I got hungry so an hour was as long as I could wait.) And voila, you’re ready to enjoy.
I pureed my tomatoes and onions for about five minutes in the blender with a 1/4 cup of cream to make a delightful soup. It was amazing accompanied with fresh bread so I could soak up every drop.
Bonus roasting recipe: In a square baking pan toss: 1 small bag of mini-potatoes (washed and sliced in half), 1 medium onion (chopped), 3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. This can then be roasted for one hour (you can even do it at the same time as the tomatoes). Just remember to stir every 15 minutes. We had these gems for dinner. Delicious!
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Thought that was sweet? You’ll enjoy: