KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
By Erin Walgamuth
You can find these lovely little tomatoes in almost any market. They are larger than a cherry tomato, but smaller than a Roma tomato. Amoroso tomatoes are juicy and sweet. Their color will be dark red and they will be attached to the vine. Typically you will find them in a 16oz plastic container which will give you about fourteen tomatoes.
I like to slow roast these tomatoes as it intensifies their flavor and reduces their size making them perfect for several dishes. I sprinkle herbs, granulated garlic, salt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes before they go in the oven. The end result is a tasty morsel that is a bit crispy on the outside, with a creamy inside. This is a very simple recipe, but does require a substantial time commitment as the tomatoes are roasted for three hours.
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I have tossed the tomatoes in warm pasta, sprinkled the top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped flat leaf parsley. I have topped warm crostini with fresh mozzarella and the roasted tomatoes then sprinkled them with fresh chopped basil. I have also put the tomatoes in the refrigerator until cold, sliced them in half and added them to salad. They are also a wonderful accompaniment to grilled steak or fish.
You will need
13×9 glass baking dish
Vegetable oil spray
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees
Prep time is about 13 minutes
Cook time is 3 hours
Makes 24 halves of roasted tomato
1 16oz box of Vine Ripened Amorosa Tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
14 to 24 pinches of sea or kosher salt
14 to 24 pinches of dried thyme, oregano and rosemary
14 to 24 pinches of granulated garlic powder
1 ½ tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Spray the bottom of the glass baking dish and set aside. Remove tomatoes from their vine. Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut all of the tomatoes in half. Place tomatoes in the baking dish cut side up.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the cut tomatoes. Sprinkle ½ pinch to 1 pinch of the salt over each tomato. Sprinkle a ½ pinch to 1 pinch each of the thyme, oregano, rosemary and garlic over each tomato. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the cut tomatoes.
Place the baking dish in the pre-heated oven and set the timer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
When the timer goes off remove the baking dish and drizzle the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil over the tomatoes. Put the baking dish back in the oven and re-set the oven timer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. When the timer goes off remove the baking dish and let tomatoes cool slightly then serve.
Erin Walgamuth has been an assistant Food Stylist for television and print for the past 26 years and writes this column using her own recipes. Check out her other creations in our Hometown Recipe section.
