I love to entertain, especially in the summer when produce from the garden is most abundant. One delicious and super-easy appetizer that anyone can make (trust me on this), is a roasted tomato tapenade.
Ripe tomatoes are roasted until they are soft and caramelized, bringing out their natural sweetness. Once the tomatoes are cooled from the oven, they’re given a quick whiz in a food processor until almost smooth.
The result is a tapenade ready to spread on crusty bread, crostini, or crackers. I love it spread over a layer of tangy goat’s cheese on crostini. You love how simple it is to make and how simply delicious it is.
You can scale this recipe up or down to make a little or a lot. You can switch the herbs or add garlic, peppers, eggplant, or onions to the roast. While I usually add garlic anytime I roast tomatoes, I chose to go with straight tomatoes since I was using some of the best-tasting tomatoes I’ve ever eaten (and grown), the Valdichiana from Italy. Adjust this recipe to your liking!
Roasted Tomato Tapenade by Candace Godwin, The Coeur d’Alene Coop
Serves 4; Oven: 400⁰F; Roasting time 30 – 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. of ripe heirloom tomatoes (preferably dark red, brown, black, or purple varieties)
- 2 to 3 whole, peeled garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp. good olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. Herbs de Provence
- Optional ingredients: fresh or dried basil, thyme, rosemary; onions, eggplant.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400⁰F. Wash and quarter tomatoes and place them in a bowl. Toss tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, and herbs in the bowl. Spray a sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread the tomato mixture evenly on the pan.
Roast in a 400⁰F oven until the tomatoes caramelize, about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in the sheet pan. Scrape tomatoes into the bowl of a food processor and process until nearly smooth. Scrape tapenade into a small bowl and serve with crostini or crackers.
Tomato tapenade can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days. It can also be frozen.
Check out more recipes for tomatoes and other veggies, here. Buon Appetito!
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