So Good it Hurts

Tomato season is in full blossom here in Tennessee, in fact Grainger County will hold it’s annual Tomato Festival the last weekend in July. This event is famous for the Tomato Wars where participants pelt each other with tomatoes. Frankly, I think Grainger County tomatoes are over-rated and throwing them at each other is the best thing to do with them.

I buy a half dozen or so tomatoes every week at the farmers’ market where I have a choice of heirloom varieties from Cherokee Purple (which looks as thought it’s been bludgeoned to death) to Green Zebra (a near perfect blend of acid and sweetness) and Blondkopfchen (a delicious cheery tomato for snacking). I usually celebrate the beginning of the season with a BLT — or three — then it’s on to making gazpacho, my version on Insalata Caprese (using feta), and of course tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad.

I buy a half dozen or so tomatoes every week at the farmers’ market where I have a choice of heirloom varieties from Cherokee Purple to Green Zebra and Blondkopfchen.

But eventually I get around to cooking some tomatoes and one of my favorite ways is slow roasting. This really concentrates the flavors and is a great side dish (and, in fact, if you can find a half-way decent tomato in the winter, slow-roasting will make it edible). Very simple to prepare but time-consuming to cook so it’s best reserved for a weekend if you work.

Slow-roasted Tomatoes
Serves 4.

2 tomatoes
4 tsp sherry or balsamic vinegar
4 tsp olive oil
2 tsp dried thyme
Sea salt

Heat oven to 250 and line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice tomatoes in half, top to bottom and notch out stem. Arrange, cut side up, on the baking sheet and prick cut side with a fork, being careful not to pierce the skin.

Drizzle each tomato half with a teaspoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and salt to taste. Roast in center of oven for 4 hours.

Try Slow-roasted Tomatoes with…
Paella
Chicken Saltimbocca
Austrian Pork Chops

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | side dish | tomatoes

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