tomato season – roasted tomatoes
It is the beginning of full blown tomato harvesting in my garden. I planted fourteen plants this year, and three or four other plants have sprung up so I don’t think I am going to be short of tomatoes. I think I’ll be begging for mercy.
One of the best summer pleasures for me is fresh tomato on toast with basil for breakfast and I have eaten this a couple of times already. But last night I harvested a big bowlful of orange, red and yellow cherry tomatoes and I thought I’d roast a few to go with dinner as a side dish. They were so delicious that when I got up this morning I roasted some more to have on toast for breakfast. These are really simple to make and you end up with the squishy cooked tomatoes in a garlicky, basil flavoured syrup that is fabulous with crunchy toast. Just as yummy as the recently published stuffed tomatoes but with no work. Let’s face it nobody wants to stuff a tomato first thing in the morning before coffee.
These are the kind of tomatoes that I WISH I got at cafes when they offer roasted tomatoes. I have never had a decent cafe tomato. They are inevitably tasteless, underseasoned and not properly cooked, just a warmed up raw tomato – yuk. I am particularly fussy though, I loathe half cooked tomatoes, I prefer them either raw or cooked. Rant over.
These tomatoes are proof of my theory that roasting improves everything.
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 teaspoons
- olive oil
- salt
- fresh basil leaves
- Put the cherry tomatoes into a small ramekin in a single layer and pierce several times with a knife point
- Sprinkle with salt
- Crush the garlic and mix with the oil
- Drizzle the oil over the top
- Bake in a 250 C oven for about 25 minutes until collapsed and bubbling. Check them after 15 and stir and squish them a bit.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped basil leaves.
I too am starting to drown in tomatoes and zucchini. So I roasted some tomatoes per your recipe and then used a vegetable peeler to make zucchini ‘noodles’ and voila! Dinner done and dusted.
So how was dinner?
Awesome! And leftovers just as nice for lunch the next day.
Great. Must try that myself.
What a gorgeous recipe, Rosalie! I do love the sweetness of roasted tomatoes. Thank you so much for joining in on my challenge this month!
Catherine
Hah! I could have submitted about 10 recipes for “attack of the killer tomatoes month”! 🙂