roasting fever

Our Sun Gold tomatoes are just starting to turn that lit-from-inside golden orange. But we had friends in town this weekend whose harvest is well underway, so they packed a few pounds of their bounty into their carry-on bags. People who travel with their own home-grown produce are my favorite kind of people. And it kind of reminds me of my mom – if she ever visits in May when the peonies are in bloom, she’ll cart them cross country and has even been known to give security guards guff about having to dump out the water in the security line.

But back to the tomatoes. Here’s the great thing about being friends with Sarah. We all went out for dinner along the water, and our reservations coincided with that glowy, early sunset haze that makes food and wine taste so much better. Then we came home, and when most people might want to pack it in and waddle off to bed, Sarah turns to me and says, “Hey, let’s make overnight, oven roasted tomatoes!”

So we poured ourselves a glass of wine, and she talked me through it. Slice in half, make a paste with a few cloves of garlic and olive oil, dollop on top of the tomatoes in a roasting pan and shove into a pre-heated 200 degree oven. When we woke up the next morning and opened the oven, a savory blast of warm tomato-garlic goodness wafted out and made our stomachs growl. Then, when you pop one of these little roasted tomato coins in your mouth, you get a little crunch before hitting the soft center, and one of the most concentrated tomato flavors I’ve ever experienced.

I have to admit that I’ve never been inclined to shrivel up my tomatoes. They just feel a little too precious for that. But I am here to tell you that the resulting jar of glistening, gorgeous oven-roasted tomatoes made me a convert. The flavor is so intense and bright and fresh that I can see this becoming an addiction.

Sarah says these dehydrated a little more than she hoped – she wanted them a bit more plump to spread on crostini (oopsie, that's what sleeping in can do). But Plan B was hardly shabby: After we snacked on these all day, Sarah whirled the rest up in the food processor with a little more olive oil, spread it over a flank steak with some oregano, seared it, baked it, and served that evening. It tasted like it was sent down from the heavens.

Sadly, we had to return our friends to the airport at the end of the weekend. But I’m hanging onto this new roasting fever.