Recipe: Oven-roasted tomatoes, aka tomato candy

‘Allo readers. While I realize I’m several days’ overdue for a post with substance, I’m also a bit preoccupied with a Top Gear marathon at the moment, so I thought I’d take just a quick break to bring you this non-recipe for one of my utterly private obsessions: tomato candy. Why private, you ask? Well first: as previously mentioned, Chris, whom I love with all my being, does not love tomatoes with any of his being, which makes this an Emily-exclusive treat in my kitchen. And second: there’s something just a little sinful about plucking these buggers hot off the pan with your fingers, mopping them around in the oily, dirty bits left clinging to the tray and delivering them straight to your mouth where the crackle of caramelized skin and the burst of still-tender fruit meet in textural harmony.

If that’s not kitchen raunch, I don’t know what is.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes (Tomato Candy)
By Emily Stoffel
Cooking time: 1.5+ hours (though prep time is about 5 minutes)

Note: These are best when served simply: accompanied by good olive oil and freshly torn basil over pasta; mashed with a modest nub of goat cheese and spooned onto crostini; mixed with a drizzle of honey and black pepper and served over vanilla bean ice cream (it’s less adventurous than you might think), you get the gist. As for tomato variety, nearly any will do, so long as the size is somewhat uniform. Roast grape tomatoes whole; cherry tomatoes should be halved; larger tomatoes chopped into 1″ chunks. When scraping the pan, be sure to accumulate at least some of the blackened bits, as well. Christian Grey who?

Ingredients:

  • A heap of tomatoes, stems removed and chopped, if applicable (see note)
  • A generous glug (or two) of olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300. Toss tomatoes generously with olive oil, tip onto a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 60 minutes. Increase heat to 400 and roast an additional 30-40 minutes, or until tomatoes are shrunken and blistered to your liking.

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4 Comments on “Recipe: Oven-roasted tomatoes, aka tomato candy”

  1. Ooooo, kitchen erotica! I love (oven) roasting veggies and fruits — easy peasy, and seems to bring out the best flavor, whether savory or sweet, or both! I just roasted figs and peaches for a salad tonight — over arugula, and with gorgonzola cheese & pistachios.

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