Before I get started with today’s post, I hope you’ll indulge me for just a moment to share a personal note with you. I want you all to know that I’m going to be absent from the blog for the next few weeks. Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, that since January this year I’ve posted only one recipe per week. That’s because of some back problems I’ve had that limit my ability to stand for any length of time.

I’ve had back pain for the last 30 or so years, but I just dealt with it. However, last summer it got much more severe. And so, next Tuesday, June 2, I’ll have spinal fusion and decompression surgery to, hopefully, correct the problem. That means I’ll be off my feet for a while. In the meantime, some really great blogging friends will be helping me out. Thanks to the organizational efforts (and insistence) of Barbara from Creative Culinary, you’ll be enjoying guest posts from several fantastic bloggers all through the month of June. When you see them, please show your support by visiting their blogs and, if you’re so inclined, commenting and sharing their work. They (and I!) will appreciate it so much! See you back here in July!

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a huge bag of perfectly ripe Roma tomatoes with the intention of making Pico de Gallo for guests. Well, even the best laid plans “gang aft a-gley” and I found myself in the next few days with dead ripe tomatoes about to go bad. I really hate that, don’t you? When I spend my hard earned money for beautiful produce, I want to enjoy it, darn it! So, instead of letting those tomatoes gradually reduce themselves to compost, I decided to rescue them for a later use. That’s where this recipe for Oven Roasted Tomatoes in Oil came into play.

Actually, this is not a recipe at all. It’s more of a method. A process. Just a way-of-doing-something. There are no measurements, just guidelines. It’s almost a feel-by-doing thing. People who have been cooking a long time will understand what I mean :-)

You may be asking what I’m going to do with these roasted tomatoes? Well, some ideas are using them in bruschetta (one slice on top of a crispy piece of baguette and goat cheese would be a delicious summer appetizer), combine them with hot, cooked pasta and fresh basil (yum!), chop them and mix into an omelet (yes!), and I could also envision a lovely pizza with these and some fresh mozzarella and basil. And don’t forget the oil! After it sits for a while with the tomatoes, it becomes infused with that gorgeous roasted tomato flavor and makes a luscious vinaigrette!

Save this recipe/process/method/way-of-doing-something for the summer when you have more fresh tomatoes than you know how to handle. You’ll be happy you did!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment (only if you’re lazy like me and don’t like to scrub pans).

Slice the tomatoes 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. If they’re really dead ripe, a serrated knife helps immensely with the slicing.

Place the tomato slices on the lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning. Remember that anything you put on the tomatoes is going intensify in flavor during the cooking process so use a light hand with the seasonings.

Bake, checking every 20-30 minutes, until tomatoes are roasted and beginning to show a bit of char around the edges. Admittedly, I like mine with a good bit of char. Actually, that’s the best part in my opinion. But you cook yours to whatever degree of done-ness you prefer. You want them pretty well dried out and chewy if not crispy. The total cooking time is going to vary depending on how thickly you sliced the tomatoes and how humid it is that day. I cooked these for about an hour and a half. Your nose will also tell you if they’re starting to go too far to the dark side :-)

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and let them cool. Pack the slices into a clean, dry jar and fill with a good quality extra virgin olive oil to cover. Store, tightly closed, in the refrigerator.

I used five big Roma tomatoes and got a half-pint of roasted slices. Yeah. Don’t expect to be filling up quart jars full of these. They really cook down. But the flavor is so concentrated that a little goes a very long way!

A couple of notes: this is not a canning recipe. It hasn’t been tested for canning. It hasn’t been processed to seal the jar. It’s not shelf stable so that’s why you need to store it in the fridge. Period. Also, someone is surely going to get the idea that they’d like to put fresh herbs and/or garlic in with the roasted tomatoes. Uh…no. Don’t do that. It’s a matter of food safety. Fresh herbs and fresh garlic stored in oil have the potential to develop botulism. Botulism is nasty stuff. Here’s some official information on that if you’re interested: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uc_davis/uc_davis_garlic.pdf

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Tomatoes in Oil

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Use excess ripe tomatoes to make these delicious Oven Roasted Tomatoes. Store them in olive oil and use both the tomatoes and the flavorful oil.

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Ingredients

• Ripe tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Italian Seasoning

Instructions

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.Slice tomat
3. oes 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning.
4. Bake, checking every 20-30 minutes, until tomatoes are roasted and beginning to show a bit of char around the edges.
5. Remove from the oven and cool. Pack into a clean, dry jar. Fill with olive oil to cover. Store in refrigerator (not shelf stable).

Notes

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• Oven-Roasted Tomatoes from David Lebovitz
• Best Baked Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon from Natasha’s Kitchen
• Ridiculously Easy Roasted Yellow Squash and Onions from Fat Free Vegan
• Roasted Cipollini Onions in Thyme from White on Rice Couple
• Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Spoon and Saucer

What I was up to…

• One year ago: Broccoli Salad
• Two years ago: Cheesy Onion and Herb Bread
• Three years ago: Pimiento Cheese Corn Sticks
• Four years ago: Crispy Roasted Potatoes
• Five years ago: Strawberry Jam
• Six years ago: The Real Deal Banana Pudding