Recipe from Tomatomania Cookbook. Tomatomania coming to Trione Winery on April 30th, all day. Join us!!
FROM SCOTT: “The unsung heroes of the garden in my book? Cherry tomatoes. Many ’maniacs scrunch their noses when I suggest they grow cherries. Some say they have a “unique” taste. Others complain they had way too many cherries one year because they tend to grow like crazy. This is a problem?
Great on their own, these tomatoes are also fantastic companions for homemade hummus, goat cheese, steamed green beans . . . I could go on. And by all means, play around with the vegetables and herb combos—and tomato varieties. This is a very pile-it-on friendly recipe.”
RECIPE:
2 pints (4 cups) cherry, grape, or other small tomatoes
¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced and roughly chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 small sprig rosemary, cut in half, or 2 tablespoons mixed chopped garden herbs such as oregano, thyme, and basil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. If the tomatoes are large, slice them in half. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with the onion, if using. Sprinkle the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar over the tomato and onion mixture. Season with a generous pinch of salt and scatter the herbs on top.
- Bake for 10 minutes and stir the tomatoes with a heat-proof spatula, mixing any stray pools of vinegar and tomato juice back together as much as possible. The juice from the tomatoes will help deglaze the baking sheet. Bits of vinegar will stick to the spatula; that’s fine (when it cools, it turns into a handy “vinegar candy” snack for the cook). Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Continue to bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to wrinkle but are still very juicy, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size, variety, and ripeness of the tomatoes.
- Remove the tomatoes from the oven and transfer to a bowl to cool, scraping the baking sheet well, and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Makes about 2 cups
Prime Picks: Any cherry, grape, pear, or other small variety.
Best left on the vine: Any super-large tomatoes. They release water immediately as they bake so they won’t caramelize well.
Recipe located on page 166-168 of the Tomatomania cookbook.
I {Moxie Lady} enjoy this delightful mix with Laura Chenel Goat Cheese and a sip of Trione Sauvignon Blanc or Route 128 Viognier. This is one of those great recipes you can whip up before hand and look like a superstar for your guests on a nice Spring or Summer afternoon by “throwing together” a delicious appetizer. Want to turn this into a full meal? Roll out some dough and use this as the topping for a seasoned flat bread!
Cheers!