I know that tomatoes are no good in New York at this time of year.  I know this.  But I sometimes order my groceries from a delivery service that gives “Good right now!” recommendations on their website.  They said that their beefsteak tomatoes were “good right now!” and I foolishly believed them.  I also saw a carton of heirloom baby tomatoes at a fancy grocery in a fancy neighborhood and thought to myself , “If the fancy people are buying these how bad can they be?  Maybe all of the good tomatoes all go to the Upper West Side in February?”  Well, that is not how it works.  Tomatoes are not good in New York right now.  No matter what your grocery delivery service claims and even if Upper West Siders are spending six dollars for a little carton of cherry tomatoes.  I know that now.  The problem is that I cannot stand to waste food, even if it is mediocre food that I should not have bought in the first place.  Luckily, there is something that you can do to make even lousy tomatoes taste good.  You can slow roast them in low heat oven with olive oil, salt and garlic (rosemary is good in the mix too).  Think of it as providing your tomatoes with the warmth that the winter has denied them.

• Tomatoes (chopped if large, halved if small)
• Good Olive oil
• Salt
• Rosemary (if you like)
• minced garlic

1. Turn your oven to 250 degrees.
2. Combine all of the ingredients except the garlic on a roasting tray (I use a cookie sheet)
3. Let your tomatoes roast for at least an hour, maybe two.  You can give them a stir every half hour or so.
4. When the liquid from the tomatoes has released and is starting to thicken add the garlic and roast for about another half hour.  Don’t let the garlic burn!
5. When it starts to smell really good and has a caramelized jam like consistency it is done!

This stuff can be put into scrambled eggs, used to top a pizza or tossed with pasta.  It makes a truly excellent quiche filling when paired with goat cheese.  For quiche making directions go to Gluten Free Quiche or Yummy Quiche with a Baked Potato Crust.  You can also make a superior tomato pie using oven roasted tomatoes.