Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Sorry about the delays this week crablings, been having some minor technical difficulties.

The tomato harvest is in full inundation mode. We've picked over 20 in the last few days and there are plenty more still on the vine, nagging me with their redness. Time to start making a dent.

I detest sun-dried tomatoes. I just don't get the concept. Take a sweet ripe tomato, slice it open and then leave it in the sun until it takes on the tensile strength of leather. Yum, yum, yum.

Why would you do that? Well Crabby, it concentrates the flavors, you say. No it doesn't, especially if I'm distracted by my teeth grinding on the flesh.

Well, it's a way to preserve them, you say. So what, I answer. If the stuff doesn't taste like summer, it the stuff ends up not even vaguely resembling an actual tomato why not just make a huge batch of tomato sauce and be done with it?

Sigh, just because it's been done for centuries and just because it's from the "old country" doesn't mean it's a good idea. I mean look at lutefisk for goodness sake.

As in many cases, SSSal disagrees with my opinion. Thankfully we have been able to come up with a compromise solution. Oven Roasted Roma Tomatoes are baked at a low temperature so that some of the water is released. But they aren't cooked for so long that they become shoe leather. If you scrape the flesh from the skins it's actually a very tasty condiment. So without further adieu, please enjoy...

Oven Roasted Roma Tomatoes

by SSSal

14 Roma tomatoes

3 gloves garlic, quartered

2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Thyme leaves

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

Halve the tomatoes and place them, cut side up, in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.

Sprinkle the garlic quarters among the tomatoes. Drizzle the garlic and tomatoes with the olive oil.

Generously salt and pepper the vegetables.

Sprinkle the thyme leaves atop.

Roast at 250 degrees for 1 hour. After 1 hour, reduce the temperature to 200 degrees and roast for an additional 2 hours.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Gently peel the skin from the tomatoes prior to serving.

Serving suggestions: add to sauces, as a spread on bread or toast or as part of a roast vegetable platter.

Pretty simple crablings. Slice, sprinkle, roast for three hours. You can't call that work!

I'm outta here for now. Until next time, remember you can do it, you can cook.