Roasted tomatoes seem to always be lurking in my kitchen.  I use them in soups, tuck them into panini and top them on bruschetta.  They are both sweet and savory and can be used in a myriad of dishes.  The beauty of this recipe is your tomatoes don’t have to be ripe to end up with gorgeous roasted ‘maters.  My experience with grocery store tomatoes, and sometimes even the ones purchased at farmer’s markets, is a usually a huge disappointment.  No flavor and a dry, mealy texture is the norm today.  This recipe forgives the gassed tomato and the farmer that dared tout his product as “vine ripe from the farm”.  Let me make clear though, nothing, but nothing, will save the rock hard, pale pink fruit if it is carted to market before it’s time.

But your average grocery store tomato will sing when prepared this way.  I serve it as a side along side other vegetable dishes and my family is happy, happy.  Any leftovers are roughly chopped and made into soup or bruschetta.  The flavors ripen with a bit of time so the following day these roasted tomatoes are sublime…warm, hot or cold.  They’re great on homemade pizza, in omelets and salads.  Juicy and full of flavor, they pair well with grilled beef and fish, as well as grilled zucchini and stuffed into grilled portobello mushrooms.  Over pasta?  You’ll think you died and went to heaven.  I hope you try these.  So good and so easy!