Breakfast Tomatoes – a Winter Indulgence

By Lori Powell

I love roasted tomatoes and think that they are a great accompaniment to most dishes, not only for flavor, but for color. Ever since I had the traditional Irish breakfast in Dublin, I crave a hit of the roasted red.

My dad is a die-hard ketchup lover with eggs, burgers, sandwiches and most things. So as his good daughter, and the only one, I must add, I have followed suit. A little odd to have such gorgeous scrambled free-range chicken eggs (I have my own heirloom chickens) to then enrobe them in the saucy red.  Most people would consider that criminal.

Well it is a bit, but not so much if you serve them alongside freshly roasted or broiled tomatoes – especially ones that are out of season – instead of the bottled sweet version. I enjoy them most in winter since that is when roasting tomatoes makes the most sense to bring out their intensity and caramelize the pulp a bit. Grape tomatoes work well; the Campari tomato shows up all year round now.

I do advocate following the seasons with your produce but sometimes you need to be a bit naughty.  A little hit of this roasted red embellished only with some fresh rosemary sprigs, freshly ground pepper, sea salt and a drizzle of really good olive oil is all you need to dress up most dishes – in this case, scrambled eggs with a hit of grated Gruyère cheese and homemade hash browns.  These tomatoes are also great as leftovers to spread on bread for a cheese or roast beef sandwich or to add to soup, pasta or serve with cheese.

Roasted Rosemary Tomatoes 
Serves 4

9 to 10 small Campari-like tomatoes, halved
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on a small heavy ovenproof skillet or shallow baking pan and top with remaining ingredients.  Roast in middle of oven until tops begin to brown and the tomatoes liquid is reduced, about 30 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Comments

[TomatoMan]

Mmm. It looking so yummy. Thanks for shared, i love it.