Friday, October 7, 2011

Roasted Tomato Salad with Basil and Balsamic Reduction

We're pretty sure, having tasted this, that anyone currently in possession of cherry tomatoes is morally obligated to roast them.


Seriously. A raw cherry tomato is delightful. Roasting makes it...I don't know how to put this. Profound. World-changing. I now strongly suspect that the key to world peace will ultimately be found inside the roasted cherry tomato. You say I'm exaggerating. I can see where you'd get that intuition. But I say, try these. Then tell me what you think.


Ingredients
1 basket cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Kosher salt
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
A few basil leaves, chopped or chiffonade
(or fino verde, separated into individual leaves)
Black pepper


Preheat oven to 300° F.

Halve the cherry tomatoes (crosswise if round, lengthwise if oblong). Toss gently in a bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Pour onto a nonstick baking sheet, spread into a single layer, and turn face up. Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the balsamic vinegar in a small pan or pot over medium heat. When it begins to simmer, turn heat down to medium low, and simmer gently until the volume reduces by half. Remove from heat.

When the tomatoes are done, serve in a bowl, sprinkle with a little basil and black pepper, and top with a spoonful of balsamic reduction.


Serves 2, but you'll want more, so why not go ahead and double the recipe?

2 comments:

  1. I made these lovely tomatoes to go over a mixed greens salad with goat cheese and sauteed baby portabello mushrooms and it was amazing! The tomatoes made the dish! These will be a staple this summer.

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  2. Oh my gosh, that sounds AMAZING. As soon as we have tomatoes again, that's what's going under them -- thank you!

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