SLOW-ROASTED
MINI-TOMATOES
Intense burst of flavor
makes these a great snack;
great over pasta and in salads, too
2 or more pints grape or small cherry tomatoes
1 or 2 whole bulbs of garlic per cookie sheet
1 or 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil per cookie sheet
Dried or fresh crumbled thyme
Sea salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Note: this will take 2½ to 3 hours
You will need one or two cookie sheets,
some parchment paper or foil, cutting board and sharp knife (adult supervision
is a must!), and a storage container (jar or plastic storage container for the
refrigerator, or a freezer bag (label name and expiration date) to store for up
to a year
Grape and cherry tomatoes are a
great garden choice for kids to grow. You can pop them whole into your mouth
right out in the garden! Or bring them inside for snacking, cut them in half
for salads, and so forth.
But most of these mini-tomato plants
are very productive. What happens when you grow more than you can possibly eat,
fresh and raw? Make these tasty snacks, which are like large, spicy raisins.
Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
On cutting board, cut each
mini-tomato in half. Place side by side on the cookie sheet.
In the midst of the tomato
halves, place one or two whole garlic bulbs. The oven's heat will draw garlic
taste up into the oven's interior and place just enough garlic taste on your
mini tomatoes to be delicious without overwhelming the tomato taste.
When the tomato halves are lined
up, sprinkle lightly with no more than 2 T. olive oil, plus a little thyme, sea
salt and freshly-ground pepper.
Bake for 2½ to 3 hours. Check
after 2 hours; if some along the edges are beginning to get too crisp or burn,
remove them and keep baking the others.
Eat right away or store in the
refrigerator in a jar or container with a little extra olive oil dribbled on
top. Shake the container to mix.
Or you can store these in a
freezer container to enjoy next winter with some hot pasta!
-- www.KidsGardenClub.org
