Amazing Roasted Tomatoes Recipe

Amazing Roasted Tomatoes Recipe

Fresh tomatoes are one of those staple ingredients that are often overlooked. Apart from chopping them up for salads, not many people actually ever use fresh tomatoes as a main ingredient, which is a shame as when they are cooked well they take on a completely different character and are a great vehicle for all kinds of flavours – as shown in this amazing roasted tomatoes recipe.

Ingredients

• Vine-ripened tomatoes
• Balsamic vinegar
• Oregano
• Extra mature cheddar cheese
• Chorizo
• Garlic

How-to Guide 

Start by chopping the tomatoes across the middle – not from top to bottom. This provides a large surface area and gives you two flatter bases for the roasting tray. When the tomatoes are chopped, place them in a tray and roast them for 20 minutes at 180-200 degrees Celsius until they start to cook. Don’t worry if the tomatoes are difficult to fit in your oven dish – as they cook the shrink slightly due to dehydration.

Whilst the tomatoes are cooking, slice the chorizo into thin slices and the garlic into tiny pieces – saves a job later!

When the tomatoes have started to cook, add a splash of the balsamic vinegar and the garlic pieces to each tomato. At this point reduce the oven temperature to 180. You want the balsamic to thicken into a syrup, not burn.

When the balsamic is beginning to thicken, add the chorizo to the top of the tomatoes and return to the oven.

After around 5 minutes the chorizo should be almost cooked – now is the time to add the cheese and oregano…

Reduce the temperature again to around 150 degrees, again you want to only melt the cheese, not brown it. This will also prevent the herbs from burning and becoming bitter. The cheese should melt within 2-3 minutes, leaving you with this…

These can be used as a canapé or as a main meal if you make enough of them. I made these 8 and had them on their own as an evening meal, but if you were particularly hungry you would need more.

Give this amazing roasted tomatoes recipe a try – it is easy, only takes around 30 minutes and gives you a chance to try something new. Another benefit is that tomatoes are actually better for you cooked than raw!