The same thing happens every summer about this time. It is the main event, what we have been waiting for since about mid-November of last year. Summer Bounty! It is when the backyard garden has much more than the family and friends can possibly consume in a timely manner. For example, this year I have eight tomato plants that produce about 15 pounds of delicious vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes every week.
So I usually offer the best ones for sale to locals who appreciate real tomato taste. I am aware though, most of us haven’t had real tomatoes in years. What passes for a tomato in the markets these days is criminal bait and switch. Even the expensive “heirloom” varieties are nice to look at, but are very lacking in the kind of flavor true vine-ripened tomatoes have.
There are always a few with some minor defects, such as splitting skin, over ripened, slight decay, etc…. These are the step children of the produce world.
I used to make canned tomatoes or sauce with these less than perfect consumer rejects. To do this properly takes a lot of time and work because you have to remove the skins and seeds. Even with a vegetable or tomato food mill.
That was until I found this recipe for roasted tomatoes with garlic. Roasted garlic always tastes so much better to me than raw. Same thing with peppers and onions. This recipe does not require the tomato skins or seeds to be removed. The simplicity is very welcome. The preserved result is great for adding to dishes, sandwiches, cold plates, and salads.
The original recipe calls for using smaller cherry sized tomatoes but larger ones will also work. Just cut them in half or more depending on how big they are. I like to use shallow rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper set out inside. Fold the paper up on the sides to contain any juices that may decide to dribble onto the metal pan surface. Place the tomatoes with the cut side facing up, or skin side down depending on how you look at it. I also like to add some peppers to the mix, jalapeno and bell peppers work well. Don’t cut these too small. Place whole garlic cloves all around as desired. Onions can work with this recipe, too. Place some fresh whole basil leaves here and there. Sprinkle sea salt evenly over everything. Either drizzle or brush everything with extra virgin olive oil. Then brush or drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top of that. Not a lot is required. Place the cookie sheet(s) in a preheated oven approx. 350 degrees F. A convection oven works best. After about 15 minutes, check and look for some browning on the veggies. When you start to see burning, then you have reached critical mass. The tomatoes should be bubbling and spilling juices onto the parchment paper.
Take the baking sheet(s) out of the oven and allow to cool until nothing is bubbling or steaming. You want the veggies to be hot enough that you can’t touch them with your bare hands. Line up several clean jars with lids. I use a plastic measuring cup with flexible side to scoop up the veggies and juice, then pour the mixture into the clean jars. Add the extra liquid at the bottom of the pan as well to fill in the air spaces around the veggies. You want no air spaces anywhere except at the very top of the jar. Gently spin, shake, or tap the jars to coax the air pockets to rise to the top of the jars. The mixture should still be too hot to touch with your hands. Leave about ¼ of air space in the top of each jar. Use more extra virgin olive oil if needed to top off the jars. Now carefully twist in the lids, making sure they are on very tight.
At this point, I let the jars sit on the counter to slowly cool down to room temperature. The lids should be slightly concave (bowing down in the middle) indicating the negative pressure created as the food compresses while cooling. If the jars are air tight, the lids should stay concave. If you have any jars that are not concave, just eat those first because they won’t keep as long as the others. If you refrigerate the jars, they last for several months until opened. If you don’t refrigerate the jars, figure they will last a couple of weeks, perhaps a whole month, depending on how hot the mixture was when poured into the jars. One other option would be to boil the jars to completely sterilize the contents.