Introduction: Slow Roasted Summer Tomatoes

By
About: Hi! I'm Michala, I love to cook, sew, and woodcraft. I'm just starting to share some of my projects. Hope you Like my stuff.

Slow roasted tomatoes are one of my favorite things in the world - they are super easy to make and even more versatile to use. I love to use them on homemade pizza and Focaccia, tossed into a salad with some lettuce and cucumbers, with some ricotta on toast, or mixed with some pasta and topped with fresh basil and grated parmesan for a quick dinner.

These will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, or following the directions at the end of this recipie you can easily freeze and they should stay good for up to 6 months. This is a great way to preserve all those tomatoes from your garden or CSA this summer.

This is my first Instructable so if you have feedback I'm very open to it. If you like it please vote for me in the Organics Cooking Challenge

Step 1: Recipie

  1. For this recipe you will need;
  • 1/4 c Oil of your choice (Grapeseed, olive, avocado, etc.)
  • 1t Kosher Salt (depending your tastes you can increase or decrease this)
  • 6-10 cloves of garlic
  • 2-3 pints small tomatoes (this recipe works best with tomatoes no bigger than a chicken egg)
  • Parchment paper
  • Sheet pan large enough to spread your tomatoes out in 1 layer

Steps

  • Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees
  • Line your pan with a sheet of parchment, this will make clean up much easier. DO NOT use aluminum foil, and if you use aluminum baking sheets like I do, it is 100% necessary to use the parchment liner. The acid in the tomatoes will react with the aluminum and change the flavor of your dish.
  • Peel and smash your garlic - using the flat side of your knife lay it on top of your garlic clove and give it a whack with the heel of your hand this will crush the garlic and you can easily remove the skin. I'm sorry I don't have a photo of me doing this. If you feel more comfortable/ don't understand what I'm saying you can just peel the garlic and rough chop it (see photo 3 for size.)
  • Arrange tomatoes and crushed garlic on your lined baking sheet, add salt and oil of your choice.
  • Mix with your hands (clean) or a wooden spatula until tomatoes are coated in salt and oil. Spread tomatoes out into a single layer. (photo 4)
  • Put sheet pan in pre-heated oven on the middle rack, Set your timer for 3 hours, checking tomatoes after 2 hours for doneness. (photo 5)
  • Remove from oven once tomatoes have split and are lightly browned in places (photo 6) - this batch took 3.5 hours, but it will depend on your oven and the tomatoes you are using.

Step 2: Storage

As I said these tomatoes will last 3-4 days in the fridge - store in a glass or plastic container. If you have too many to use in that time, or are making a big batch they are super easy to freeze.

  • Allow tomatoes to cool to room temperature
  • Put in large Ziploc bag
  • Lay flat on a sheet pan or plate to freeze. I do this because once they are frozen you can easily give the bag a quick shake and the individual tomatoes will separate - this lets you pull out a few at a time as you cook.
  • You can also freeze in plastic Tupperware, just freeze in portions you will use for cooking.

That's it! Hope you enjoy these as much as my family and I do :)