Slow Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

You say tomato. I say slow oven-roasted tomato...

Oven roasted San Marzano tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

When I saw these pop up on Food In Jars' Facebook page a couple weeks ago, I knew that I would be making them. They are the most delicious thangs -- sweet, chewy, and intensely tomato-ey (it's my blog so I can make up any words I feel like.) The long roasting concentrates a whole tomato's worth of flavor into the delightfully shriveled, slightly gooey treat that remains at the end of 10-12 hours in the oven.

While not exactly quick, they are sublimely easy to make. All you do is preheat your oven to 200 F. While you're waiting, wash the tomatoes.

Tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Slice them in half (or into quarters if you're using a rounder, fatter variety) and lay them in a single layer on parchment covered baking sheets.

Tomatoes about to go into the oven by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper(you could throw some basil, thyme or oregano into the mix, too, if you feel like it.)

Tomatoes about to go into the oven by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Then slide the sheets in and cook them at this low temperature for 10-12 hours (or more like 8 if you're using cherry or grape tomatoes since they're much smaller). Check them periodically to make sure they're not getting too dried out for your taste (and to make sure your oven is still on - ours kept turning off for some reason... Not good!)

Tomatoes roasting in the oven by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

When they're done, let them cool down. Remove however many you plan to scarf down in the next week and put them in an airtight container with a lid.

Oven-roasted San Marzano tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Then freeze the rest on their sheets, pack them into glass jars or freezer bags and toss them into the freezer.

Two freezer bags of oven roasted tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

These are DIVINE atop some goat cheese on crackers or baguette, chopped in salad, added to sauces, or just eaten on their own. I think you'll find them quite addictive...

Greens with quinoa, broiled salmon oven roasted tomatoes, cucumber, beets, pinenuts, currants and lemon pesto mayo dressing by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

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8 comments:

Mya said...

An excellent solution for fitting more tomatoes into my cramped freezer. A busy work schedule means that I've been freezing more than canning lately, and whole, uncooked (expect for removing skins) tomatoes take up lots of precious space.

johnnydesoto said...

love oven roasted tomatoes!

I let them go till they are almost dried and then pack them in olive oil and refrigerate. they keep for months this way and you also get a nicely flavored oil.

erna dyanty said...

Hi there,

I love shriveled oven-baked (sundried) tomatoes. Just wondering, you said to bake it for 12 hours?

does this not over heat the oven? I have an electric oven, can I do the same with mine?

love the idea, will do some this week!:)

Eve Fox said...

Hi Erna,
nope, it does not get too hot because you're cooking them at a very low temp - just 200 degrees. I would think it would work just as well in an electric oven as in a gas-powered one so give it a try!

Or, if it seems daunting, try it for the first time with those little grape tomatoes since they'll only take 6-8 hours at 200 degrees.

Kirsten Lindquist said...

Slow, I mean so good! I only made 2 lbs, and they never made it into the freezer! THanks so much for sharing, look for a post where I use them, cannelini bean crostini with magic herb sauce, posting in a few days. Hope you're well!

Eve Fox said...

Hi Kristen,
I will definitely keep an eye out for that post - the crostini sound great!

Kelly said...

Wonderful way to keep tomatoes for the winter. I miss garden tomatoes so much....

Kelly said...

This is such a great way to save tomatoes. Thanks for sharing. I miss garden tomatoes in the winter. I am going to try this.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Slow Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

You say tomato. I say slow oven-roasted tomato...

Oven roasted San Marzano tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

When I saw these pop up on Food In Jars' Facebook page a couple weeks ago, I knew that I would be making them. They are the most delicious thangs -- sweet, chewy, and intensely tomato-ey (it's my blog so I can make up any words I feel like.) The long roasting concentrates a whole tomato's worth of flavor into the delightfully shriveled, slightly gooey treat that remains at the end of 10-12 hours in the oven.

While not exactly quick, they are sublimely easy to make. All you do is preheat your oven to 200 F. While you're waiting, wash the tomatoes.

Tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Slice them in half (or into quarters if you're using a rounder, fatter variety) and lay them in a single layer on parchment covered baking sheets.

Tomatoes about to go into the oven by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper(you could throw some basil, thyme or oregano into the mix, too, if you feel like it.)

Tomatoes about to go into the oven by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Then slide the sheets in and cook them at this low temperature for 10-12 hours (or more like 8 if you're using cherry or grape tomatoes since they're much smaller). Check them periodically to make sure they're not getting too dried out for your taste (and to make sure your oven is still on - ours kept turning off for some reason... Not good!)

Tomatoes roasting in the oven by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

When they're done, let them cool down. Remove however many you plan to scarf down in the next week and put them in an airtight container with a lid.

Oven-roasted San Marzano tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Then freeze the rest on their sheets, pack them into glass jars or freezer bags and toss them into the freezer.

Two freezer bags of oven roasted tomatoes by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

These are DIVINE atop some goat cheese on crackers or baguette, chopped in salad, added to sauces, or just eaten on their own. I think you'll find them quite addictive...

Greens with quinoa, broiled salmon oven roasted tomatoes, cucumber, beets, pinenuts, currants and lemon pesto mayo dressing by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

You might also like:

8 comments:

Mya said...

An excellent solution for fitting more tomatoes into my cramped freezer. A busy work schedule means that I've been freezing more than canning lately, and whole, uncooked (expect for removing skins) tomatoes take up lots of precious space.

johnnydesoto said...

love oven roasted tomatoes!

I let them go till they are almost dried and then pack them in olive oil and refrigerate. they keep for months this way and you also get a nicely flavored oil.

erna dyanty said...

Hi there,

I love shriveled oven-baked (sundried) tomatoes. Just wondering, you said to bake it for 12 hours?

does this not over heat the oven? I have an electric oven, can I do the same with mine?

love the idea, will do some this week!:)

Eve Fox said...

Hi Erna,
nope, it does not get too hot because you're cooking them at a very low temp - just 200 degrees. I would think it would work just as well in an electric oven as in a gas-powered one so give it a try!

Or, if it seems daunting, try it for the first time with those little grape tomatoes since they'll only take 6-8 hours at 200 degrees.

Kirsten Lindquist said...

Slow, I mean so good! I only made 2 lbs, and they never made it into the freezer! THanks so much for sharing, look for a post where I use them, cannelini bean crostini with magic herb sauce, posting in a few days. Hope you're well!

Eve Fox said...

Hi Kristen,
I will definitely keep an eye out for that post - the crostini sound great!

Kelly said...

Wonderful way to keep tomatoes for the winter. I miss garden tomatoes so much....

Kelly said...

This is such a great way to save tomatoes. Thanks for sharing. I miss garden tomatoes in the winter. I am going to try this.