Molly's slow roasted tomatoes

It is almost the end of August and somehow I have let it pass me by without truly enjoying the amazing tomatoes that this month has to offer.  I have loved tomatoes since I was very little.  There is actually a famous (within my family) video of me at 18 months eating a tomato like an apple in my high chair after toddling into the garden to pluck it myself.  While I love peaches and corn and berries, nothing tastes more like high summer to me than the perfect tomato.  Although I also want to rush out to the store and get the last of the heirlooms while they are at their peak, I have had a recipe for slow roasted tomatoes in the back of my mind for seemingly forever and I thought it was high time I made it.  It comes from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and follows below:

Slow roasted tomatoes with coriander

• 3 1/2 lbs ripe Roma tomatoes (about 20)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• Ground coriander

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Farenheit.  Wash and dry the tomatoes, trim away the stem end, and halve them lengthwise.  Place them in a large bowl, and, using your hands, toss them gently with the oil.  Arrange them cut side up on a large baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and ground coriander, about a pinch of each for every 4 to 6 tomato halves

Bake until the tomatoes crinkle at the edges and shrink to about half their original size, 4 to 6 hours.  They should still be juicy in their centers.  Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Put them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.


Lunch today!

These tomatoes are so delicious and tomato-ey and this book has been a favorite for years.  I read it cover to cover just over three years ago and I absolutely love cooking from it.  Each recipe is clearly and lovingly written and is preceded by a story from her life that connects to it.  I often re-read those stories as I prepare the accompanying recipes and it's like catching up with an old friend.  I'm glad I finally remembered to try this one...it makes for the perfect late summer lunch!