The Roasted Tomato Revelation

Ah yes, that family barbecue last August, when I thought I was being entirely rational in what I was cooking:

• my go-to puff pastry appetizer, from John Bishop and Dennis Green’s cookbook, Simply Bishop’s: Easy Seasonal Recipes
• smokies on the barbecue, with baked tomatoes, caramelized onions and a couple of mustard choices on the side
• salad
• fresh berries and ice cream for dessert

How hard could that be?

And then, as usual, I found myself running behind, all because I’d been diverted by a very big, very inexpensive bag of only slightly soft tomatoes that I found in Granville Island Market that morning.

Since I’d just been looking at the slow-roasted tomatoes recipe in Fine Cooking Magazine, it seemed like Fate had stepped in, and I’d better play my part.

I can’t say I’m sorry, even though, as usual, I had to press you into service in the kitchen.

Roasted tomatoes have been a revelation, and they just keep getting better and more useful as the months go by.

Even on the first night, they showed some sign of what was ahead.
I started out thinking of them as a relish for the smokies, but they looked and smelled so good that they crept into the puff pastry recipe too.

At the time I thought they’d be seasonal, a use for over-ripe tomatoes in August and September.

But it turns out that over-ripe tomatoes show up all year long. In the past, I stopped buying tomatoes in the winter, because they aren’t very good, and I don’t feel like eating them in cold weather.

But now that I roast them, tomatoes in winter are a whole different food. Whenever I see soft ones, deeply discounted, I stock up.

Like you, I’ve stopped using the cup of olive oil, and I love your tip about pressing the liquid out halfway through cooking to redistribute it in the pan.

So now I’m using your roast tomato recipe. Funny how that works.

Here’s the recipe for the puff pastry appetizer, with a few changes from John Bishop’s recipe: baked tomatoes instead of the romas he calls for, and basil pesto instead of olive oil and chopped fresh basil.

And for ways they’ve moved into my life:

• angel hair pasta with caramelized onions, prosciutto, Italian parsley and a sprinkling of goat cheese
• cheddar cheese omelette with basil or chiives
• with green beans and caramelized onions

By the way, thanks for the tip on refreezing puff pastry. I bought a one-pound package from Whole Foods, and only used half when I last made the Warm tomato and Asiago Tart.

But I rolled it all out, and cut it into squares. I froze the extra on a cookie sheet and then slipped them into a freezer bag.

This is dangerous knowledge – I’ve already whipped up a quick mango puff-pastry tart, just because I had a mango, and with the puff pastry all ready in the freezer I knew it would take no time at all.