what do you do with a huge bowl of so-so tomatoes? slow roast them!
it has been an extremely difficult tomato season here in Minnesota. our spring was colder than normal - our summer was colder than normal - our fall lasted about 5 seconds and now it seems winter is here. not fun!
what all this means is the tomato plants did grow - albeit very slowly - but it never got sunny enough/warm enough to really bring out the beautiful tomato flavor. don't get me wrong, our tomatoes were still better than anything i saw in the grocery store but it was sad. we spend so much time planting and caring for our plants - and then to have them not be everything we know they can be is just sad.
however - i do have a solution. this can be used for a bad summer crop or during the colder months when you must buy tomatoes at the store. slow roasting creates miracles...truly.
slow roasting the tomatoes helps to develop the sugars in the tomatoes and pulls all the juices to the surface. it is the ideal way to treat less than wonderful tomatoes. i decided to use the tomatoes for a simple tomato sauce for spaghetti. everything about this recipe is simple and it produces big flavor.
you might also want to try grilling tomatoes. this also develops the tomato flavor well. here is the recipe :
spaghetti with grilled tomatoes and lemon
"quick" slow roasted tomato sauce
4 cups slow roasted tomatoes and their juices
olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp italian herbs
salt
pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Cut tomatoes into wedges or slice in half if they are small. Put tomatoes on a baking sheet - drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Roast for an hour. Let tomatoes cool. Peel skins from tomatoes.
In dutch oven or large pan - heat olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan). Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add wine and reduce by half.
Add tomatoes, italian herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer for at least 1/2 hour.
Serve with your favorite pasta.
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oh my - talk about an improvement to pasta salad. the warm vinaigrette with the garlic, mustard and lemon juice - this is an instant hit in our house. i thought of calling it "clean out the produce drawer pasta" because you could really use any vegetables that you like raw. the best part about it - besides the taste - is it is so quick to make. 
this pasta dish of Ina's is to die for. it is a creamy and cheesy adult style macaroni and cheese with the volume turned up. the combination of all the cheeses give it an incredible flavor - and whatever you do - DO NOT skip the smoked mozzarella. 
