Tomato Season

I've been watching green tomatoes fatten on the vine, anticipating tomato season. Even though red tomatoes can now be found in food markets all year round, these off-season tomatoes rarely taste like the luscious vine-ripened specimens that I pluck from the vine in August and September.

My garden's tomato crops have been so disappointing the last couple of summers that I was not intending to plant tomatoes at all this year. But, after seeing my father's full, healthy tomato plants thriving inside a plastic tent in my folk's Bellingham garden, I returned to Pullman inspired and quickly built an arched PVC structure, covered with a sheath of construction grade plastic. I planted tomatoes on June 16th. In spite of the late planting and this summer's erratic weather, my tomato plants are thriving splendidly in their tent. When the tomatoes ripen, I am hoping for a few more of these chilly summer nights. I want to turn on the oven and roast a big batch of tomatoes.

I often roast vegetables in the winter. I love how oven roasting deepens the flavors and caramelizes the sugars in vegetables. I also enjoy the radiant heat of the oven in the winter. I rarely roast vegetables in the heat of the summer. But I plan to roast a big batch of vine-ripened tomatoes. The tomatoes' extraordinary, intense earthy roasted flavor is imparted to any dish that one adds them to.
The following recipes come from an old (unidentified) magazine clipping that featured Chef Tom Colicchio of the Gramercy Tavern in New York. I've seen other tomato roasting recipes that turn the oven up to 400-degrees and roast for about the same amount of time. If you don't plan to eat the entire recipe's amount, you can wrap and freeze oven-roasted tomatoes.

Roasted Tomatoes

20 ripe tomatoes (about 10 pounds) rinsed, stemmed and halved crosswise
2 large heads of garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
8 large fresh thyme sprigs
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the tomatoes on the baking sheets, cut-sides down, and scatter the garlic and thyme on top of them. Drizzle evenly with olive oil, rubbing it over the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Roast the tomatoes for 20 minutes, or until the skins are wrinkled. Remove the pans from the oven. Pull the skins off the tomatoes and discard. Tilt the pans over a large bowl and pour off the tomato juices. Return the tomatoes to the oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours longer; pour off the juices every 20 minutes or as necessary. Let the tomatoes cool completely on the baking sheets. Discard the thyme sprigs.
3. To store, use a fork and tongs to pack the roasted tomatoes and garlic cloves in glass jars. Strain the tomato juices into the jars and refrigerate for 3 weeks.

Roasted Tomato Risotto
4 servings

6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 Roasted Tomato Halves, coarsely chopped
4 Roasted Garlic Cloves
1 T. unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer; keep it at a bare simmer over low heat.

In another medium saucepan, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and stir over moderate heat until softened. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat it with oil.

Add 1 cup of the hot stock to the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Add the tomato halves, garlic and another cup of stock and cook, stirring, until the stock is absorbed. Continue to add hot stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring until it is absorbed before adding more. The risotto is done when the grains are just tender and bound with a creamy sauce, about 25 minutes in all. Stir in the butter and Parmesan, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 6

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

Return to Recipe List

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.