
Spring is in the air.
I’m ready, spring. Bring it on!
I’ve finally stopped lamenting over our lack of snow this winter. I’ve come to terms with it. I’ve moved quickly through the five stages of grief and jumped from denial straight to acceptance.
It doesn’t hurt that this weekend is daylight savings time. Easter is right around the corner and spring will officially arrive in exactly 11 days (per my 7-yr-old, who obviously should be in charge of my calendar).
Another month and asparagus will be sprouting up everywhere. Oh, happy day!!
Spring is a time for new beginnings. And it’s in this spirit that I want to share a cookbook with you. A new cookbook that a foodie friend of mine wrote and it’s just been released.
I’m so excited for my friend I can barely contain myself. It’s her new beginning of being an accomplished author; where this new path might lead her is anyone’s guess. But she’s so talented and driven that I’m certain it will lead someplace wonderful.
Congratulations, Kelsey!!
I met Kelsey a year and a half ago when were both chosen to tour Willamette Egg Farm in Oregon. She was kind enough to film a video of me cooking eggs with Jeffrey Saad (<—- a wonderful person who has become a friend and a mentor of sorts, watch his show!!!) and I remember thinking that it was such a kind, selfless thing for her to do.
And now her cookbook has been released and it’s with much happiness that I can finally help her in return. The book is really great with a lot of practical yet sophisticated recipes that anyone can master. It’s called “The Naptime Chef: Fitting Great Food into Family Life” which is also the name of her food blog.
I’m sharing her recipe for slow-roasted tomatoes. Roasted tomatoes are something I make often but have never shared with you plus it’s an easy “trick” that everyone should know how to do; the flavor is amazing. It’s a wonderful way to get more flavor from supermarket tomatoes in the winter and to use up a surplus of tomatoes in the summertime. I typically toss them with pasta or make a killer bruschetta with either capers and goat cheese or fresh mozzarella, basil and a balsamic glaze. The roasting concentrates their flavor and they become very soft and sweet.

Trust me, if you haven’t had them, you really must make some immediately.
In the meantime, would you be interested in receiving a copy of Kelsey’s book? If so, please leave a comment below and you’ll be entered into a drawing for one copy. The giveaway ends next Friday, March 16th at midnight, EST. I’ll notify you the next day if you’re the winner! {US residents only, please}
Kelsey’s Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 dozen tomatoes (cherry, plum, beefsteak or heirloom), quartered, stems and cores removed*
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- Preheat oven to 250F. Line an 18×13-inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil that extends up and over the edges of the pan.
- Place the tomatoes cut-side u on the prepared baking pan and scatter the unpeeled garlic cloves around the pan. Drizzle everything with olive oil until all the tomatoes are lightly coated with a slick of oil. Sprinkle 2 or 3 large pinches of kosher salt over the tomatoes and garlic.
- Place the pan on the middle rack in the oven and roast the tomatoes for about 3 hours or until tomatoes are shriveled and lightly browned with a little bit of juice and oil gathered in the center.
*I like to use cherry tomatoes and just roast them whole; both ways are delicious

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TheDeliClerk
Monday 19th of March 2012
Why is it that when I slow roast tomatoes and garlic it doesn't come out properly? I've done it before, but this time around, when slow roasting my tomatoes and garlic my tomatoes didn't caramelize the way the usually do. Instead, they gave off all their liquid and I'm stuck with a roasting pan full of tomatoes and garlic floating in tomato juices. I set it to the proper temperature I always use for roasting vegetables, that is, between 425 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Thanks for any advice! - Danny
the wicked noodle
Monday 19th of March 2012
You're probably starting with whole tomatoes and not leaving them long enough. You can leave them whole if they're small, cherry-sized tomatoes but otherwise you should deseed and core them. Hope that helps!
EGLMRGRL
Sunday 18th of March 2012
Oh these look really good :). I LOVE roasted tomatoes, but never tried them SLOW roasted. :).
the wicked noodle
Monday 19th of March 2012
You'll love them!
Michelle
Friday 16th of March 2012
I would love to win this book to try her recipes.
the wicked noodle
Friday 16th of March 2012
Thanks for entering, Michelle!
kirsten
Friday 16th of March 2012
Yum! I never knew you could slow roast tomatoes for such a short time! I usually do them for 10-12 hours (overnight) in September when I'm happily overwhelmed with tomatoes and have stuffed myself full of BLTs, panzanella, etc. I never bother with coring the tomatoes either, I just slice them in half, put them cut side down into the oil/spices, and when they are done just slip off the skin & core before processing. I've got a few bags of homemade spaghetti sauce from those slow roasted tomatoes left in the freezer. I hope they last until August!
twitter_kaycemick
Monday 19th of March 2012
The only time I actually slow roasted tomatoes were tomatoes in a can and it was for borscht. Do you have a recipe for borscht? I'm sure you do lol, you have everything. I'm gonna take a look because mine never turns out like my grandma's did. That nor her cinnamon buns.
the wicked noodle
Friday 16th of March 2012
I'll bet that's some killer tomato sauce - YUM!! If you're leaving your tomatoes whole then you'd definitely need more time, but you can roast the smaller ones longer, too; it's really personal preference. I like mine with a bit of juiciness left in them but they're also good a bit more dried out. The bottom line is that they're delish! :-) Great suggestion to add some spices, too!
Lisa
Thursday 15th of March 2012
I can't wait to try this. I am going to grow my own tomatoes this year and this recipe will be a fun one to try on my own.
the wicked noodle
Thursday 15th of March 2012
Good luck with your tomatoes! They're the one thing I grow every year. I switch up the others but never tomatoes :-)