Book Fifty-Two: Mediterranean Light

by Martha Rose Shulman


                        Slow-Baked Tomatoes

Tuesdays are puzzle night in which my sister comes over and we enjoy dinner, wine and well, a puzzle.

On occasion she brings the main course, and this Tuesday she brought a  Mediterranean chicken dish. I have this yummy couscous vegetable salad* that I made along with these slow-baked tomatoes. These turned out much better than the ones I tried before on the grill. The fresh garlic was way more flavorful and did not have the "burnt" taste that the browned garlic in oil produced in my previous post.

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Slow-Baked Tomatoes

Makes 4-6 servings

4 to 6 large ripe fresh tomatoes, cut in half horizontally

4 to 6 tsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 garlic cloves (to taste), minced or put through a press

3 Tbl chopped fresh basil or parsley

Preheat the oven to 325°. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in the preheated oven for 2 to 3 hours, until the tomatoes collapse and begin to caramelize. Sprinkle with the garlic about halfway through the baking, or at the end, and sprinkle with the herbs just before serving. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Mediterranean Light/Martha Rose Shulman

*I use a homemade dressing on the couscous vegetable salad:

1 clove garlic minced and mashed with 1/2 tsp salt to make a paste.

2 Tbl balsamic vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

3 Tbl minced basil

1/4 cup (1/2oz) grated parmesan

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

 

Mix first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Add oil in slow stream and whisk until blended.