Years ago I found a way to make off season tomatoes worthy of a sandwich. I love these tomatoes and eat them on almost everything. I even make them with in season tomatoes. They are sweet and juicy and just amazingly delicious!
4 hothouse tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tbsp sugar
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
fresh herbs I like thyme and rosemary
Preheat oven to 250F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out tomato slices in a single layer not touching.
Sprinkle each with sugar them salt and pepper. Put a few leaves of favorite herb on top of each slice.
Bake for 1 hour then reduce oven heat to 200F and bake 2 hours longer. They will be shriveled but still flexible, not dried or crisp. Remove from oven, let cool then put them into a plastic storage tub. Drizzle with a little good olive oil, seal and refrigerate ‘til serving time. These can be used in salads, sandwiches, appetizers, whatever you like. I like them on a toasted piece of good bread which is spread with goat cheese or alternated with sliced fresh mozzarella on a platter for an antipasto, just drizzle them with a little more olive oil and sprinkle them with a chiffonade of basil leaves.
Thank you. I will try this.
We don’t even buy the big grocery tomatoes anymore. We get the little vine-ripened ones, which are tolerable.
I’ve noticed that recipes that involve peeling the tomato by dunking it in boiling water for a minute, and then immediately putting it in ice water, make grocery store tomatoes better; it seems that the slight ‘cooking’ brings out more flavor.
-JT