Home Cooks Online

 Recipe by guest author, Heather Forsyth.

There is nothing more disheartening to a tomato lover than wheeling a cart through the produce aisle of the local grocery store in mid-winter and seeing a pile of pale, flavorless lumps passing themselves off as fresh tomatoes.  Don't despair.  If you need a tomato fix before the real thing comes this summer, this simple technique will transform those hothouse tomatoes into sweet, shiny and intensely tomatoey flavored treats that are delicious on their own or put into a fresh pasta dish or savory tart.  There's very little work involved, but it does take time, so start this recipe a few hours before you want to serve them up.

Roasted Tomatoes

• 
  
  2 pounds (6-7) Roma tomatoes
  
  
• 1 c. olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 t. sugar
  
• 1 t. salt
  
• 1 1/2 t. dried oregano
  
• 2 cloves finely minced garlic
  
• 2 T. finely minced parsley

Preheat oven to 325.  Pour 1/2 c. olive oil into a 9x13 baking dish.  Cut tomatoes in half, lenthwise, and place them cut side up in the dish in one layer.  Pour the remaining 1/2 c. olive oil over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with sugar, salt and oregano.  Bake for one hour.  Using a pair of tongs, turn the tomatoes over and bake for an additional hour.  Cool, then layer in a bowl, sprinkling a little of the parsley and garlic over each layer.  Pour some of the remaining olive oil from the baking dish into the bowl.  Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, or refrigerate for later but bring back to room temperature before serving.

These are wonderful served bruscetta style on slices of toasted bread with a soft goat cheese and olives.  I've also used them as a base for a cheese and tomato tart, and layered them in lasagne.  Feel free to use different herbs as well -- dried basil or herbes de provence would be tasty variations.