Recipes by Scott Daigre and Mark Donofrio adapted from Tomatomania! A Fresh Approach to Celebrating Tomatoes in the Garden and in the Kitchen by Scott Daigre and Jenn Garbee.
Special thanks to Houwelings in Oxnard, Underwood Family Farms in Somis, and Rainbow Bridge Market in Ojai for providing tomatoes for these photographs.
When you have bowls and bowls of these productive rainbow morsels, there’s no better way to use them than in a roast. Roasting brings out all the sweetness that is already a major part of this taste profile and softens the sometimes-tough skins.
This recipe is infinitely flexible. More chiles or fresh jalapeño changes everything. I often enjoy a more soup-y version of this recipe, which is easy to do by adding a bit more of the liquid ingredients and more cherry (or other) tomatoes, which shed delicious juice as they cook. The dish can be altered per your taste or the season. I’ve added squash, cabbage or other veggies for a different twist.
Slice up fresh herbs that you can gather from the garden as well. Basil, green onions, garlic, thyme, oregano? Yes! Embrace the gumbo esthetic here and use what you have, make it different each time. You’ll always get a great result.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (leave a few whole for variety)
- ¼ medium red onion, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 sprig rosemary, cut in half
- ¼ cup mixed (or your favorite) chopped garden herbs
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and chili flakes to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spread out sliced tomatoes and onions on baking sheet or ceramic baking dish and drizzle/sprinkle with olive oil, vinegar and brown sugar. Toss together, then level them in the pan. Add chopped herbs, salt, pepper and chili flakes over mix.
Bake 10—15 minutes to wilt ingredients slightly, then remove from oven and toss with spatula.
Return pan to oven and bake for another 20—30 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes or so to mix ingredients and release the most juices. *Optional for this step: reduce oven temperature to 325°F and increase baking time to 40-45 minutes. Experiment to see which method you like best.
Remove from oven when tomatoes are still juicy; set to cool in a medium bowl. Be sure to scrape the baking sheet into the bowl to include any caramelized bits.
Freeze or store it in the refrigerator or, better yet, use immediately over pasta, meats, steamed veggies or a big chunk of fresh sourdough bread.
