Last year, we slow roasted a big batch of tomatoes that we froze and added to soups, casseroles and pasta dishes throughout the winter. This weekend, we're gearing up to do it again.
Read on to find out about the recipe we use and a few tips.
Home Cooking: Slow-Roasting Tomatoes
The recipe: Perfected over several years of roasting by Alanna Kellogg of A Veggie Venture and Kitchen Parade
The tomatoes: Skip the heirlooms for this one. You're going to need a lot of tomatoes, and that could get really pricey, really fast. Go with something meaty, preferably that can be purchased by the box – usually 20 pounds. We used Romas and had great results.
The seasonings: For us, garlic is a must. We also used a mix of Italian herbs on all of our batches last year. This year, we're going to mix it up a little bit, maybe with some herbes de Provence and some plain batches to use in homemade salsa.
The timing: This recipe is all about the low-and-slow method – 10-12 hours at 200F. Finding that much time to cook can be difficult, so we prefer to let our batches roast overnight. Waking up to wonderful smells is a bonus.
The roasting: We found that roasting two pans at a time, both placed in the middle of the oven rack worked best. When we tried cramming two pans onto each rack, the tomatoes near the sides of the oven were a little overdone. Use your best judgment with your individual oven.
The results: The tomatoes should be perfectly wrinkled and concentrated, and all that's left to do is pop off the skins, freeze in batches for easy use and enjoy all winter long.
Related: Food Science: The Best Place to Store Tomatoes...and Why
(Image: Joanna Miller)
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I make these from time to time, but I can never resist eating them all shortly after they come out of the oven.
view Leisureguy's profile
So is taking off the skins at the end necessary for preserving the roasted tomatoes?
view ChefSalty's profile
Arthur Schwartz has a great recipe for roasted tomatoes (not so slow) on www.foodmaven.com.
view artichoke queen's profile
ChefSalty - I don't know that taking off the skins affects the preservation of the tomatoes, but the skins do get pretty dry and crusty, so I don't know that you'd want to eat them. And they slip off very easily.
view Joanna's profile
I've been slow roasting for a few years and have found that while the slow method is great....equally delicious results can be achieved at a higher temperature (and quicker time). Labor Day Weekend I roasted a whole bushel of tomatoes (two trays at a time). It would have taken a week to do that many at 200 degrees, so I cranked the oven up to 350. This took about 2-3 hours per batch. I recommend stirring them up a couple of times while they cook to keep the corners and edges from overcooking, but I do like a little char. I also roughly chop my tomatoes and freeze the cooked down tomatoes in small containers that are the perfect size for mixing into 1 lb. of pasta (with a little pasta water)âthe perfect antidote for a dark winter day.
view nymagman's profile
12 hours was way too long in my oven... I burned quite a few.
The ones that survived were great!
view matchbookhymnal's profile