Hot Tomato
Posted by Sidra Forman on Wed, Sep 23, 2009
Although it's officially fall, many of the summer crops I planted in my garden continue to produce. Right now, I'm getting more tomatoes than I got in the middle of the summer. (In most parts of the country local tomatoes are available until the first frost of the season.) Mid-summer, I usually eat tomatoes raw in a salad, on their own, chopped with onions and herbs as a condiment, and mixed in with whole grains and beans. But as the season changes, I find the idea of cooked tomatoes much more appealing.
There are a variety of ways to cook them, but these are a couple of my favorites. You can then serve them as a side dish to meat, fish, poultry and other veggies or on their own. If you have any herbs in your garden, try adding those as well. Basil, oregano, Italian parsley, sage and rosemary all taste delicious with both of these preparations.
Roasted: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut tomatoes in half and slice onions. Coat both with vegetable oil cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Place tomatoes cut-side down on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. (Green tomatoes are delicious prepared exactly the same way, especially if you add a few cloves of garlic.)
Stewed: Place quartered and cored tomatoes, chopped onion, diced garlic and chopped rosemary in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until tomatoes become soft, about 15 minutes.