I know what you are thinking: You want me to turn on my oven in the middle of summer?! And the answer is YES! Please believe me when I say it is absolutely worth it! And this is coming from somebody living without air conditioning. Words cannot describe how flavorful, rich and sweet these cherry tomatoes become after being slowly roasted over several hours. The shrivel up into bite sized pieces of gooey candy. Once you eat one, it’s hard to stop. Put them on sandwiches or salads, tossed in couscous or quinoa, served with basil and olive oil over pasta, or just save them for snacking. If you buy them now, you’ll save money. I bought a pint the other day for $1.25, which is much less than you could buy sun dried tomatoes…and they taste better too! The best part is, if you make large batches and have any leftovers, they freeze really well. That way when tomato season is over, you still have these little gems hiding in your freezer.
Ingredients
Cherry or grape tomatoes
Oil
Directions
Toss whole cherry or grape tomatoes with oil to coat. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in oven at 275 degrees and roast several hours (3-5 hours depending on how moist you want them), until slightly shriveled and starting to caramelize. Stir a few times during the cooking process. Once done, let cool. Place tomatoes still on the baking sheet in the freezer. Once starting to get hard, take tomatoes out of the freezer and place in ziplock bags (by freezing them on a baking sheet before placing in a bag, they won’t stick together). Enjoy!
Katie Jones MS, RD 