I have too many tomatoes.
I do this every year. I get way too excited at prospect of growing my own food- and then plant and plant and plant (and plant, and plant)- so that by the time harvest season is upon us, I am flooded with more than I can possibly eat. It’s a very good problem to have.
I am also vehemently against food wastage. So, how do I manage the gazillion pounds of tomatoes that ripen in my backyard each and every day this month?
Firstly, all of my friends get as many free tomatoes as they can eat. What’s your favourite? Big and beefy, small and potent? Japanese Black Trifele, Yellow Old German, Costoluto Fiorentino, San Marzano, Sweet Million…
Then, it’s a non-stop tomato-fest at my house. I become the Buford “Bubba” Blue of tomatoes. Tomato salads, tomato salsa, tomato sauce, tomato soup, fried tomatoes, baked tomatoes, stuffed tomatoes…
What fascinates me is the different characteristics each tomato was bred for. Old Germans and Black Trifeles make my caprese salads sing. The San Marzanos are drier inside, making them less suitable for salads but utterly amazing for sauces and pastes. The sweet millions make an excellent snack just about anytime, but I love them halved and tossed into salads and pastas. Finally, this year’s experimental tomato: the Costoluto Fiorentino. I had no idea what to expect from this varietal, barring what I had read on the 2 inch tag affixed to the pot when I bought it.
Wow, this one is definitely getting planted again next year. As seen above, these heavily ridged, squat tomatoes fit somewhere in between the meaty Old German and the dry San Marzano. Perfect for slow roasting!
Now, don’t think you have to go out and track down some CF tomatoes for this recipe- you definitely don’t. Any tomatoes will do, those just happened to be my favourites of the year.
Best of all, this recipe is great for those tomatoes that are, perhaps, a day past their prime. Too many tomatoes? Need to use them up before they spoil? DO THIS. You won’t regret it.
Slow roasting tomatoes produces an end product that is somewhere between fresh and sundried. They still retain a lot of meatiness and juiciness, but the flavours have cooked and richened until… well, the results are something that need to be tasted. Unbelievable.
I tend to raise an eyebrow when food bloggers describe every recipe as ‘the best thing that has ever existed make this now omg yasssss’. Yes, we all want our readers to try out our recipes, but let’s not act like everything that crosses through this blog is the best thing you have ever experienced in your life.
…
… except these tomatoes are. I swear, I’m not lying. If you like tomatoes, these will change your life.
So, I’m breaking my own rules but- with good reason! I’m spreading the gospel of the incredibly easy, mouth-nirvana, rockets of flavour that are slow-roasted tomatoes.
Salt, pepper, olive oil, thyme, tomatoes. Is that even an ingredient list? So simple! Bake at a low heat for 3-4 hours (less if your tomatoes are drier or smaller, more if you are using large, juicy tomatoes).
I add these beauties to everything- sandwiches, pastas, cheese platters, dips… even now I’m getting excited about potential new uses. What am I going to do when my abundance of tomatoes dries up?!?
The roasted tomatoes keep well in the fridge for up to a week, but I have never been able to keep them around that long. Some of the juices will ooze out in the fridge, creating what looks like a golden syrup at the bottom of your container. That’s actual gold. Well, not actual gold, but it is as valuable! Drizzle this syrup anywhere. It blesses everything it touches. Really.
| Slow Roasted Tomatoes | | Print |
- Tomatoes, halved horizontally
- Olive oil
- Fresh thyme, leaves picked
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay tomatoes on the baking sheet, skin side down. Lightly brush the tops of the tomatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Bake for 3.5-4 hours, until dried but still juicy.
We must get together SOON so I can steal some of those GORGEOUS tomatoes! I need to try this!
Yes, very soon!! I’ve been giving bags of tomatoes away at work all week- get in there!
Ohhhh man! So so glad you posted this when you did. I have tomatoes coming out of my ears right now and everyone that is wasted is so sad. Great simple recipe
I know, right?! It’s the perfect use for those tomatoes the might be a little too overripe for a salad or sandwich. Not to mention SO TASTY 😉
Can they be frozen? We are going ro have a bumper crop!
Great question, Susan! These freeze really well. I pour mine (juices, olive oil and all) into ziploc freezer bags. One thing to keep in mind is that the act of freezing breaks down some of the fruit’s cellular walls, meaning when they thaw, they will be softer- excellent for soups, stews, sauces, etc. but won’t necessarily hold their shape quite like fully sundried tomatoes will. That being said- the flavour is all the same! It’s a great way to enjoy summer produce year-round!
Well… As always I get to read your posts the minute they drop, as my email and my smart phone are connected and I am anal retentive and can’t ever let that little red “you have mail” marker sit for more than 30 seconds!!! The problem with that??? I spent a whole day at work fantasizing about those three heirloom tomatoes sitting at home on my counter. I don’t usually think of myself as “a guy with a fetish” but today…..
Anyhow. I haven’t roasted any yet but after reading this I’m going to have to do that…. Meanwhile I had to satiate my tomato hunger with a very simple spinach and tomato salad.
Still drooling over your pics and recipe though…. Good work…. As always!!!
Love your blog!
Duane
What a fantastic freaking comment to wake up to! (Note: I am also ultra anal retentive about clearing any and all email, call and message notifications the second they pop up haha) Thanks, Duane!!!
Congratulations on your wedding as well! Chelsea and I wish you and Todd the absolute best as you kick off this next adventure in life ❤. First order of business- spoiling that husband of yours with some decadent slow-roasted tomatoes 🙂
in honor of “having too many tomatoes” season, i will share my three favorite ways to take a trip fantastic with these roasted bites of love…
(1) something i tried last year is making tomato powder from my roasted tomatoes. use the same recipe as that which you are presently going for, just be sure to dry them a bit more, then pulverize to powder form. i pretty much sprinkled it on everything except my toothbrush. three of my top ten yummy (so far) tomato powder examples = i combined the powder with spices and salt then dipped the rim of a bloody mary glass into same + i added the powder to pizza crust + bechamel’s butt got kicked by tomato powder joining the game (2) a few years back i made tomato paste with roasted tomatoes and i thought i was going to explode from happiness. (3) roasted tomato/sun-dried tomato pickle. addictive. addictive. addictive.
your wonderful photos are nearing food stylist quality, finn… or shall i say… bubba. i really enjoyed the post.
:O You’re blowing my mind. TOMATO POWDER?!?! It’s taking all my resolve right now not to come down with a ’24 hour flu’ and skip work today just to attempt this. Roasted tomato paste?! Roasted tomato pickle?!?!?!?!?! Please, tomato plants, please have at least one more bumper crop in you this year, I’ve got PLANS.
LOL ❤ ❤ ❤ i so very much dig your enthusiasm. it just made my day reach a new height of beautiful amazing. cheers~
After I found your instructions for these roasted costolutos last year, I froze bags and bags of them and used them all winter to add to spaghetti sauce and soup. It was so gratifying to have something from the garden to perk up cold weather meals. I just now put my first batch this summer into the oven. I don’t add salt or anything because I know they will be going in sauces. So easy. And they are like beautiful flowers cut through the middle like this. Thank you so much for a great idea!