Sometimes the recipes in these blogs call for an ingredient that has already had some work performed on it. Like Chopped and Roasted Tomatoes. The recipe for that special ingredient is always included in that first blog. But these “preped ingredient” recipes have stand-alone power. So I’ll occasionally be adding them to the blog and this is the first one.
Tomatoes prepared this way are a major first step towards a tomato sauce for pasta, or perhaps to enrich to a meat loaf you are mixing up. Plum tomatoes are tight, meaty, and flavorful. Roasting the tomatoes truly intensifies the flavors that will boost any recipe you include them in. This roasting process takes just minutes but will make your dish delicously distinctive.
Chopped, Roasted Tomatoes
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
12 plum tomatoes, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 300° F.
Put the oil in a small bowl. Season with the oil, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir in the thyme. Drip the tomato slices in the bowl to coat them with the seasoned oil.
Transfer the tomatoes to a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 minutes until dried but not shriveled. Carefully turn them with a spatula and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool, and then chop. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.
Source: Tom Valenti’s Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals by Tom Valenti and Andrew Friedman