ROASTED TOMATOES

•ROASTED TOMATOES

Serve with pasta warm or in a pasta salad

• Serve with baguette as a spread

• Puree and add to mayonnaise as a sauce

• Serve heated on a baguette with Parmesan, Feta or goat's cheese.

• Serve at room temperature as a roasted tomato salad.

• Use as topping for pizza or chicken Parmesan

• Use in a grilled cheese sandwich

• Use in a baked macaroni gratin

• Add to sautéed shrimp or use on top of fish

• Use on top of grilled chicken

• Use inside stews or soups

You can make a small batch as you are roasting something else for dinner perhaps. Or you can prepare a large batch and preserve them in packages to use later. I suggest freezing any leftovers to use in the winter for a taste of sunshine.

Knowing when they are ready is checking on the tomatoes as they roast and stirring them for even cooking. This recipe would also work in a slow cooker.

If you want a drier product you can vary the cooking method by baking the tomatoes at 225 F for 4 hours. I am too impatient for that but the results are delicious.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, cores and seeds removed, or 2 pounds cherry tomatoes

6 tablespoons fruity olive oil

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons sugar, optional

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 jalapeño peppers cut in half, optional

Sprigs of fresh herbs: basil, thyme and rosemary

Preheat oven to 450°

Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on sheet pan or in cast-iron skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle garlic, sugar, salt and black pepper over tomatoes. Add jalapeño peppers if you choose.

Roast for 15 minutes, stir mixture then decrease temperature to 350 and continue roasting for another 20 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to caramelize.

Remove from oven and add fresh herbs such as basil, thyme or rosemary. Adjust seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature