I searched for something different to try with all those beautiful and different varieties of tomatoes, and came up with some winners. I had never thought about slow roasting the tomatoes, eating some now and freezing the rest for use in the winter, but what a great idea.
There’s also a no-cook pasta sauce that is a no-brainer and delicious. The less heat you generate in the kitchen in the summer, the better, right? Together with a couple of unique salads and a spicy tomato jam, we’re cookin!
Enjoy your tomatoes!
Slow Roasted Tomatoes Kalyn’s Way
The cook is: Kalyn
Nothing can compare to the way your house smells when the oven is full of tomatoes, slowly roasting and caramelizing. Slow roasted tomatoes taste like concentrated summer, and I love having them in the freezer to use all winter long.
• 20 Roma type tomatoes (same size
tomatoes are best if your garden
cooperates)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus a little to oil the pan
• 1 Tbsp. ground fennel
• 2 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. dried marjoram
(Any combination of herbs that appeals to you can be used.)
Preheat oven to 250 degrees (about 9 hours roasting time) or 200 degrees (10-11 hours roasting time.)
Wash tomatoes, dry, and cut each tomato
Spray cookie sheet with olive oil mister (or brush very lightly with oil). Arrange tomatoes cut-side down on cookie sheet and put in oven.
After about 8 hours, start checking tomatoes. They’re done when skins puff up and tomatoes are reduced in size by at least half. It’s a personal preference as to how dried you like them, and I prefer to cook mine until they look fairly dense, but still a tiny bit juicy.
These tomatoes have an intense tomato flavor that you probably can’t get any other way. They can be eaten hot or cold. They freeze wonderfully to use all winter in soups, stews, and pasta sauces.
Recipe used with permission from kalynskitchen.com. Picture of recipe available on website.
No-Cook Pasta Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Thyme
The cook is: Kalyn
• 3-4 large vine-ripened fresh tomatoes,
cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 3-4 cups
tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (use your
best olive oil for this)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp. finely minced fresh garlic (or more
if you love garlic)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt (or more to taste)
• Pinch of Aleppo Pepper or other hot
pepper flakes
• About 8 oz. pasta of your choice
(I use penne)
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese
for serving
Wash tomatoes, pat dry, then cut away stem part and cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. (Be sure to save as much of the tomato jelly around the seeds as you can since it’s the most flavorful part) Put diced tomatoes into large glass or crockery bowl.
Wash basil leaves and spin dry or dry with paper towel. Finely chop basil and add to tomatoes. Wash several thyme branches, pat dry, then strip off the leaves into bowl with basil and tomatoes. Add olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and Aleppo pepper and gently combine. Let sauce mixture sit on the counter at room temperature for at least one hour and as long as all day.
When ready to eat, cook pasta in boiling salted water for 8-9 minutes, until barely al dente. Drain pasta well, then put back into cooking pot, pour in sauce mixture and gently combine. Put pasta on individual serving plates and serve with lots of fresh-grated parmesan cheese. (Raw tomatoes should never be refrigerated, so I recommend making only as much as you will eat at one meal.)
Recipe used with permission from kalynskitchen.com. Picture of recipe available on website.
Zucchini Salad with Tomato and Basil
The cook is: Kalyn
• 1 or 2 medium zucchini, washed and
sliced in slices slightly less than 1/2 inch
thick (I used round 8-ball zucchini which
are perfect for this, but you can use
regular zucchini)
• Salt, for drawing water out of zucchini
(I use kosher salt)
• 3-4 ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/4 c. basil, cut into thin chiffonade
(about 12 large basil leaves)
• Sea salt to taste (I used rosemary salt)
Dressing:
• 1/4 c. top quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. top quality balsamic vinegar
Wash zucchini and slice slightly less than 1/2 inch thick, then put in colander in single layer. Sprinkle on a generous amount of table salt and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, shake off each zucchini slice and wipe dry with a paper towel.
While zucchini drains, slice tomatoes and chiffonade basil. (If you have large lettuceleaf basil like I do, you can fold the leaves over for easier slicing.) Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
To arrange salad, make a layer of zucchini slices on the plate, then a layer of tomato slices. Get creative here with the arrangement, depending on how big your zucchini and tomato slices are in proportion to each other. I put two tomatoes on each zucchini slice since I had the big slices of zucchini.
Drizzle a generous amount of balsamic vinaigrette over each salad. You may not need all the dressing. Season with sea salt, then sprinkle with basil strips and serve immediately.
Be sure to get some of the zucchini, tomato, basil, and vinaigrette in each bite for optimum eating pleasure. Makes 2 servings.
Recipe used with permission from kalynskitchen.com. Picture of recipe available on website.
Middle Eastern Tomato Salad
The cook is: Kalyn
I learned to make this dish from my friend Massoud who came to the United States from Iran. If you order this in a middle eastern restaurant it might be called Salad Shirazi, and most likely in the U.S. you will get a version with much less mint and parsley than in the batch I made. Massoud taught me to make it the true middle eastern way, with nearly equal amounts of cucumber, tomato, onion, mint, and parsley. Makes 4-6 servings.
All amounts are approximate. Feel free to use more or less of some ingredients, depending on your own preferences.
• 1 c. finely diced cucumber (remove seeds
if they are large)
• 1 c. finely diced tomato
• 1 c. finely diced onion (I used sweet
Vidalia onion)
• 1 c. finely chopped parsley (or a little less,
to taste)
• 1 c. finely chopped mint (or a little less,
to taste)
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, or more to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or more
to taste
• Salt, pepper to taste
Chop cucumber in pieces less than 1/2 inch and put in colander. Add a generous amount of salt and let sit while you chop other ingredients. (If the tomatoes are juicy I add them to the cucumbers and let the juice run out.) Cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions should be cut in same-size pieces, and parsley and mint should be chopped very finely. (You can use a food processor to chop the mint and parsley if you wish.) When all ingredients are chopped, combine in mixing bowl. Mix in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. (Start with a bit less and add more until it tastes right to you. I find it does not need a great deal of dressing to taste good.) Serve immediately.
This will keep for only about one day in the refrigerator. By the second day it is getting quite mushy, and you may need to drain off some liquid and add more dressing.
Recipe used with permission from kalynskitchen.com. Picture of recipe available on website.
Spicy Tomato Jam
Source: Foodily.com
This would be good with goat cheese on top of crostini. I’m sure it would make a good omelet filling. But I also think it would be really good with meat – pork most likely. Fill your kitchen with the intoxicating smell of cherry tomatoes cooking down with sugar and spices, then spoon it into a jar. It’ll be a huge hit!
• 1 pound ripe cherry
tomatoes, about 3 cups
• 4 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 Tbsp. light brown sugar,
packed
• 2 Tbsp. grated fresh
ginger
• 1/2 lemon, sliced into thin
half moons
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 tbsp. unfiltered cider
vinegar
• Salt and cayenne pepper
Combine the tomatoes, sugars, ginger, lemon, spices, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vinegar in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down to a jam and the sugars are bubbly and caramelized, 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to taste.
Article Source: http://www.hometownfocus.us/news/2011-08-05/Hometown_Recipes/Great_ideas_for_your_garden_tomatoes.html
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