Ahh the joys of having a garden. I have learned quite a lot this summer regarding veggies, fruits, and the nature of a garden. Most importantly, I learned that we over planted, and became a little less motivated as summer ticked away. Now the tomatoes are starting to come in full force, and quite frankly, my canning desires are slowly melting along with my body in this heat.
I blame you Massachusetts. Massachusetts, you lied to me. You and your New England ways with your advertised mild summers and lures of sea air, you begged me to move here during what has become one of the hottest, most humid summers ever.
Anyway, instead of canning, I decided to slow roast some tomatoes, as Molly had described in Orangette, and her book! She is a pretty bright gal, coming up with ideas such as low oven temperatures for 8 hours at a time. It's practically a meal taken care of overnight! I used about 2 pounds of Roma tomatoes that I had picked in my garden and received in my CSA, and cut them in half and placed them in the oven with a drizzle of OO and some good ol' S&P.
Recipe=easy, outcome=not what I expected. I thought that the tomatoes would magically appear all nice and dry and ready to be packed in oil. Instead they turned out to be a little moist, and shriveled. Regardless, they were pretty delicious. You can use them in anything. I happened to put them in eggs, on sandwiches, and in Ratatouille.
My recommendation is to definitely try this recipe out if you are lacking canning motivation. Simple, easy, and most important, Delicious!
Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Adapted from Orangette
2 pounds tomatoes, preferably Roma
3 tbsp OO, drizzled over halved tomatoes
S&P to taste
A pinch of basil or other spices
Halve tomatoes and place on baking sheet inside side up. It helps to put parchment paper on the baking sheet for easy cleanup later. Drizzle OO, S&P and other spices over tomatoes. Place in oven for 6-8 hours at 200 degrees. Eat and enjoy!
Roasting sounds so much easier... and tastier than canning!
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