Garlic Roasted Tomatoes

I guess I didn’t realize how much I love tomatoes until this moment. Looking back over the past month of posts, I see at least two other recipes that rely heavily upon tomatoes, dishes I could easily eat every day. So please forgive me as I indulge my tomato tastes once more with this any-time-of-year treat, roasted Roma tomatoes.

My mother once told me that Roma tomatoes are her favorite because, at least in California, you can get them 365 days a year and as long as you roast them, they’re sublime. This recipe comes from one of my few vegetarian cookbooks, Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton. It’s a clever, pretty book that’s categorized by method, and includes a valuable reference chart for quick-roasting almost any vegetable. Susie calls for plum tomatoes, and I think any meaty tomato would do. She’s quick to reassure you that whether you have 20 minutes or 40, this little side dish will be perfection itself, ideal as a side or a bread topper. Try it either way, and judge for yourself.

Garlic Roasted Tomatoes

2 pounds Roma tomatoes cut, cored and de-seeded
3 garlic cloves, sliced
About a ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
About a ¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper if you have it; lightly smear a clean baking sheet with oil if you don’t.
2. Place the tomato halves on the baking sheet, cut side up. Drop a slice of garlic into each cavity, generously douse with olive oil, drop a few drops of balsamic vinegar onto each half, then sprinkle with the salt, sugar and pepper to taste.
3. Roast for at least 20 minutes, preferably longer, until the tomatoes begin to collapse and the garlic starts to brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

Adapted from a recipe by Susie Middleton.