Tag: herbs

Easy Refrigerator Pickles by the Jar

Easy Refrigerator Pickles by the Jar

The last of my cucumber plants got pulled up last week and, though I’m sad to see summer end, I have to admit that this year’s cucumber harvest was a bit overwhelming. I added diced cucumber to salsa (delicious) and threw together quick cucumber salad 

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Bites

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Bites

I am buried in a myriad of projects right now and am rushing to complete them as the days grow shorter. I know it’s not technically autumn yet, but once Labor Day has passed us by and NFL games are officially part of my Sunday 

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Fresh Herbs

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Fresh Herbs

It was not a stellar year for my tomato plants this season. Though I harvested quite a few, it was certainly not a typical year. Cool nights, flooding rains and cooler-than-average daytime temps do not make for happy, bountiful tomato plants.

The exception to all of this were my cherry tomato plants, which went absolutely insane. Typically, I only plant one cherry tomato plant but, somehow, I mixed up “Cherokee” and “Cherry” in my planting and markings, so this year I had 3. Yeah, 3. Holy moly.

What to do with an overload of cherry tomatoes? Aside from eating them like candy from the bowls on our kitchen counter (for the love of all that’s holy, do not refrigerate tomatoes, please) and tossing them into every single salad I make, we also gave a ton away. Still, the bounty overflowed. If you’re having a party, skewers of cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls, and a leaf or two of fresh garden basil make a lovely appetizer. You can also make an amazing fresh tomato salsa with cherry tomatoes, just like you would with their larger counterparts: toss with chopped onion, jalapeno, and cilantro, drizzle with lime juice, sprinkle with salt and serve. Of course, you can also make canned salsa with cherry tomatoes, but that’s a whole other post. Cherry tomatoes are a beautiful thing, so when you’ve exhausted all of the ways to use them fresh, you’ll want to preserve the rest of them.

Here’s one way that I like to preserve cherry tomatoes: roasting them with olive oil, salt, garlic, and fresh herbs. Very similar to my other oven roasted tomato recipe, this one simply involves cherry tomatoes instead of Roma tomatoes.

lola-rugula-how-to-preserve-cherry-tomatoes-recipe

Cherry tomatoes are typically sweeter than larger tomatoes, but these still work great for soups, sauces, and spreads. And if you’re looking for a great way to preserve cherry tomatoes, this is certainly a delicious way to do so, as these freeze really well.

This is more of a “how-to-prepare” post than it is an actual recipe. How you do this will depend on how many tomatoes you have, how much time you have, and what herbs you’d like to add.

lola-rugula-oven-roasted-cherry-tomatoes-recipe

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic and

Fresh Herbs Recipe

  • Lay clean cherry tomatoes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet
  • Top with chopped garlic
  • Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs of your choice (or, be lazy like me and just top with large sprigs of fresh herbs
  • Sprinkle generously with kosher or sea salt
  • Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil

I like to crush the herbs with my hands at this point – it helps release their flavorful oils.

Roast in oven until they begin to break open and caramelize on the tops and edges. I usually speed this process along by gently pressing the partially-cooked tomatoes with a large spatula. Be careful though or you’ll end up with an oven full of hot tomato juice.

I’ve done these long and slow in a low oven and done these fast in a very hot oven. Either way really works, as long as you’re keeping an eye on them and don’t let them burn. If you do them in a slow oven and they’re cooked well but not caramelized, pop them under the broiler for a few closely-watched minutes and they’ll brown right up.

Also, if I’m using whole herbs, I take them off if they roast faster than the tomatoes. Inevitably, some of the roasted herbs break off into the tomatoes and that’s just fine.

Remove from oven and cool.

Transfer to the freezer-safe packaging of your choice and refrigerate until well chilled and then freeze.

lola-rugula-oven-roasted-cherry-tomatoes-recipe

These are also great in soups, stews, and sauces. I’ve done numerous trays in the oven at one time, which helps me justify turning the oven on in the middle of summer.

Beautiful stuff, right? This is one of my favorite ways to preserve the fresh summer bounty of tomatoes. I hope you love them, too!

If you’re just finding me now at my old WordPress site, I hope you’ll join me in my latest posts at lolarugula.com

Eggplant Bianca

Eggplant Bianca

Every year I’m in awe of just how many eggplants one plant can product and this year is no different. Here are a couple of shots of some of the eggplants I harvested out of our garden last year: Beautiful, aren’t they? This past weekend, I decided 

Mushroom Ravioli with Browned Butter, Garlic and Fresh Herbs

Mushroom Ravioli with Browned Butter, Garlic and Fresh Herbs

If you’re looking for a vegetarian ravioli recipe, this mushroom-filled ravioli deliciously fits that bill. This is a little decadent with the lightly-browned butter sauce but it’s worth the indulgence in my book. You can use a mix of whatever mushrooms you like but I’ve 

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Northern Illinois had its first frost advisory last night and, even though we’re on a hill and don’t usually get affected too badly the first frost or two, there was definitely a light sprinkle of frost on our lawn this morning.

I cleaned out our tomato, squash and bean plants over the weekend, but the frost advisory forced me to go out and pick some of my herbs, which are usually the hardest hit. So, up came all my green and purple basil, tons of parsley, bunches of oregano and thyme, and definitely some rosemary.

I had a huge basket of beautiful, ripe Roma tomatoes sitting on my counter, so roasting them with herbs, olive oil and garlic was the way to go last night. These are great as bruschetta or tossed with hot pasta and are perfect for roasted tomato soup.  An added bonus is that they freeze really well (if they make it that far). Roasting tomatoes really intensifies their flavor, so you’ll find a lot of ways to enjoy them.

This doesn’t really involve a recipe as much as a technique, so don’t sweat exact amounts here. Also, you can do this with any type of tomatoes, including cherry tomatoes, Roma’s just tend to be the meatiest. I had enough tomatoes for 2 large baking sheets full, and ended up with 1 heaping plate of roasted tomatoes.

oven roasted tomatoes recipe lola rugula

Oven Roasted Tomatoes with Olive Oil, Garlic and Herbs Recipe

Preheat oven to 325°

Line a large baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Here’s what else you’ll need:

  • Tomatoes
  • Garlic, sliced
  • Fresh or dried herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, or chives
  • Coarse salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

And here’s how to make them:

  • Wash tomatoes and slice off the very tops of them
  • Slice tomatoes in half and remove the seeds, trying hard to preserve as much as the tomato pulp as possible, tossing the prepared tomatoes on your lined baking sheet as you go
  • Once all of the tomatoes are prepped, toss on your garlic, spices and herbs. On this batch, I used fresh thyme, about 4 fresh rosemary sprigs, along with kosher salt and pepper.
  • Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. You don’t need much – I used about 1 tablespoon or less per baking sheet
  • With your hands, toss everything around to blend the olive oil and flavors. I rub the herbs, to crush them a bit and release their oils – this really helps with the overall flavor.
  • Arrange the tomatoes cut side down on baking sheet(s)
  • Roast in oven until skins are wrinkled and starting to caramelize around the edges (this batch took 1 hour and 15 minutes, but the cooking time will depend on your oven and the type of tomatoes you use)

That’s it! Super easy and delicious. Of course, these are also really great for you; loaded with lycopene and great for your heart.

oven roasted tomatoes recipe lola rugula

To freeze them, you can leave them whole or slice them, whichever you prefer. These are also great on homemade pizzas – I think you’ll find a lot of uses for them.

I’m not sure I’m ready for winter…I never am…but at least I’m saving my summer harvest, to bring back a bit of warm sunshine in the dead of winter.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day

An amazing sight in my garden this weekend: I was harvesting fresh dill for pickles and found not just one but two of these beautiful caterpillars on my dill plants. After a bit of research, I discovered they’re destined to be black swallowtail butterflies, of