OK, close your eyes...imagine this...the smell of garlic, slow roasted tomatoes. I purchased almost 14lbs of Romas to can and make my own tomato paste. Why? Because I am a food geek...I love to cook. and of course the health benefits.
The extra, unnatural ingredients in EVERYTHING, including store bought canned tomatoes, tomato sauces, salsas, etc. has got me going. I am not necessarily an 'organic advocate' but, there is something (unhealthy) about artificial additives. And then there is of course the hype about High Fructose Corn Syrup (sorry Hank & Emma).
So, to start with, from scratch, is tomato paste. It is in the sauces and salsas I will eventually make. Yep, I HAVE fallen off of the deep end! To make tomato paste you have to first cook the tomatoes, so I slow roasted mine with garlic. I have had quite the mouthwatering experience for, 2-1/2 hours while this combination has been cooking. My son Hank said: "Mom, please slow roast garlic and tomatoes often so our house always smells like this." My daughter Emma said: "Mom, you don't have to home make everything."
It is quite easy to make these tomatoes. Just cut the Romas in 1/2 (lengthwise making a boat), line a pan w/foil, drizzle the pan w/olive oil, place the tomatoes in the pan, drizzle apple cider or balsamic vinegar on tomatoes, sprinkle with sugar, sprinkle w/kosher salt, slice garlic and arrange about 2 slices per 1/2 tomato, drizzle olive oil over each 1/2 of tomato and bake at 350 degrees for 2-1/2 hours. There are multiple uses for the tomatoes. They can be left as is for a snack or appetizer, add to a salad, add to pasta...just use your imagination! Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm
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