A Creole Tomato in Montana

Creole Tomatoes are one of the best things about summer in New Orleans. The best thing for me about the summers is spending them in Montana. What's a girl to do-torn between her tomatoes and her environment? The solution for me...packing 20 pounds of Creole Tomatoes between dresses, shirts, socks and nightgowns. While I was somewhat concerned with the stain resistance of my clothing, my need for Creoles outweighed any items that could have become speckled with tomato seeds and sweet tomato juice. Luckily I arrived, with my tomatoes, both of us unscathed. Only one lonely tomato was squished. I can just imagine the face of the bag inspector as he pillaged through my garments-finding more tomatoes than clothes. If he was smart he would have kept one for lunch.

Since I have been here now a few weeks, the tomatoes didn't last too long and the few that remained were looking a bit worse for wear. I decided to slow roast them (recipe below) and use them on a open face turkey sandwich that we enjoyed paired with a Tomato and Watermelon Salad (overdone I know, but delicious all the same). The sandwich was served on thick whole grain-seeded bread picked up at the local farmers market, oven roast turkey, the slow roast tomatoes, Napa Cabbage slaw and topped with Smoked Mozzarella. Yum!

Slow roasted Tomatoes are perfect for countless applications and they are a great way to savor the summer for months after its end. Great on Pizzas, chopped into relishes for Fish or Pork, used to make uber rich tomato sauce, or just kept marinated in olive oil in the fridge for the occasional sandwich made special.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

3-4 Tomatoes, cored and cut into fat 1/2 inch to inch thick slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
Herbs-fresh and chopped (use your favorite combination, I love parsley, lemon thyme and soft rosemary)

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the sliced tomatoes on a silpat lined sheet pan (you can use parchment paper as a substitute), drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt, pepper and your choice of fresh chopped herbs. Bake for 2-3 hours, even 4 if you want a drier result. Allow the tomatoes to cool before storing. If you are making a large batch and want to keep them marinated in the fridge, use gloved hands (the first aid kind, not the fuzzy mitten type) to place the roasted tomatoes in a tupperware container and cover them with olive oil. Press a piece of parchment paper directly on top and remove tomatoes as needed with a slotted spoon. DON'T use your dirty little paws, once you introduce bacteria into the batch they won't last long. And don't even think of tossing out the delicious oil when the tomatoes are gone. Use in vinaigrette's, as a marinade for a piece of fish or beef, or just used as a dip for some crusty bread. It's also great swirled into soups at the last minute, for making pesto or cooking eggs. The possibilities are endless!