After two months of enjoying ripe tomatoes, when you’ve hopefully eaten plenty of them on sandwiches, with pasta, and in salads, my attention turns to cooked tomato preparations. As to what’s more delicious, I think it’s a tie between slow-roasted tomatoes and a good sauce.
Slow-roasted tomatoes have a slight lead on sauce simply because they’re so versatile. When cooked low and slow, tomatoes become both sweeter and more savory, with a rich, concentrated texture.
Instructions:
Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Slice 2 pounds of ripe tomatoes into 1-inch slices
Arrange the tomatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with a generous sprinkle of salt and chili flakes.
Bake for 1.5 hours or until they are very soft and condensed, and beginning to wither.
Start checking after an hour – you don’t want them to burn or dry out.
Pictured here, one of the best sandwiches ever: slow-cooked tomatoes with quickly charred zucchini, roasted red peppers, fresh Jones Family Farm mozzarella, and basil on garlic-rubbed ciabatta from Maple Wood Baking found at the Clinton farmers market.
By NAT LEVIN: Local Foods Mohawk Valley is an online local food collective offering the Mohawk Valley the best local food year-round via a virtual store. Customers shop online from over fifteen local vendors Wednesday–Sunday and pick up on Tuesday at the St. Mary’s Preschool in Clinton between 5:00–6:30pm. www.localfoodsmohawkvalley.com
