The Secret to Tasty Week Night Dinner

This is going to be a quick post - just something I've wanted to share about a secret of the kitchen: slow roasted tomatoes.

I can't recall when it was that I discovered the idea of slow roasting tomatoes, but as soon as I did it opened up raft of opportunities.

1. 2 slow roasted tomatoes, roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon of pesto, 125 ml heavy cream, pasta al dente and some freshly grated parmesan - put the chopped tomatoes and pesto in pan, add the cream, heat gradually, add the pasta, and then the grated parmesan -salt and pepper to taste;
2. 2 slow roasted tomatoes, 1 butterfly pork chop (cut in half and pound each flat to 2 mm) - spread 1 tomato on to each half, spread some pesto, add shaved parmesan, roll, tie off, sear in the a frying pan, and then roast for 15 minutes at 350 degrees;
3. 2 slow roasted tomatoes, served as a side dish, with one basil leaf and a shaving of goat or sheep cheese - maybe a dash of truffle oil. . . or better;
4. 1 slow roasted tomato, scrambled eggs. . . etc, etc. . .

Slow roasting is an ideal anecdote to the anemic, pasty tomatoes that are seen in Eastern Ontario from October to July! And once roasted, the tomatoes will keep - either in the fridge or the freezer - and the juices that emanate from them is wonderful, added to whatever dish is in the offing.

I will often roast 4 or 6 tomatoes on a Saturday afternoon just to have on hand, to provide flexibility for the fortnight to come.

And this is something that is simple: trim the core from the tomato, place in an oven-proof dish, drizzle with olive oil and Salt & Pepper, as desired (not essential), roast for three (3) hours in an oven at 350 degrees. There is no guess work here - at 3 hours, pull them out. They'll have stuck to the bottom of the dish but they can be easily separated. If you're adding goat cheese, just shave and and to the top till it melts.

What I find interesting is that slow roasted tomatoes have not found themselves on the menu of the restaurants in town - after all, they're all serving the same fois gras, braised short ribs, and steak frites.