Roasted Tomatoes

Now that you have tomatoes, how should you keep them? To have the best flavor and texture you want to keep them at room temperature. If there are too many for you and your family keep some in the refrigerator and take them out as you need them. Each day, early in the day, take out a few tomatoes and allow them to return to room temperature before serving.

Some new research, from Cooks Illustrated states that if you are going to keep tomatoes on the counter keep them stem side down on a flat surface. Stem side down keeps mold and bacteria from forming. Not enough space to keep them flat with the stem down? Try this:

tape over the stem end and your tomatoes will keep, plump and mold-free, every bit as long as those stored stem-end-down. Both will stay fresh as just-picked for at least a week.

For the first few weeks of tomatoes, I just want to slice and serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a little basil, layered with a little fresh mozzarella. With or without the cheese simple is best at first.

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Roasted Tomatoes

This is one of my favorite recipes. My mother always prepared this dish when tomatoes would get a little soft. There are no specific measurements. Fill a square or oblong glass pan or even a pie pan. Fill the pan with 2-3 layers, until the pan is ½-3/4 full.

Thinly slice tomatoes sprinkle with salt, set aside for 20 minutes, drain.

Layer the tomatoes with:

Chopped basil
Minced garlic
Parmesan cheese
A drizzle of good olive oil

Bake in an oven pre-heated to 400 until tomatoes are bubbly and slightly charred on the top.

Serve as a side dish, bake on top of a pizza, puree for a tomato sauce.