Hello, Readers!

Ginny and I are continuing our exploration of Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here For The Food and I‘m Just Here For More Food.

Technically, my next chapter should be Grilling/Broiling….but between the rain, sleet and snow we’ve been sporadically having, I’m going to save those topics for when the weather’s nicer.  Boy, have I gotten thin skinned since we moved to the Northwest. If we still lived in Chicago – I’d probably be out there firing up the grill!  But, I digress…

Instead, I’m going to talk about the deliciousness of roasting.  Mmmm… roasting.  I’m barely touching the tip of the iceberg here, because roasting can be applied to so many different foods; from the simple to the complex.  Honestly, I think I could do a month’s worth of roasting blog posts.  Can you tell it’s one of my favorite cooking methods?

About learning to roast, Alton says: “It may take some time and attention, and you might even overcook a roast or two, but in the end you will be one of the few, the proud – the roasters.”

Alton’s chapter on roasting is incredible.  He shares a great deal of knowledge, including the how’s and why’s of what roasting is and controlling temperature to achieve the best results. I couldn’t begin to summarize all the information in this chapter (which is why I highly recommend adding this book to your kitchen must-haves!) Instead, I will give you a short list of Alton’s roasting tips:

* Roasting is not about time, it’s about temperature.

* By exposing the roasting item to different temperatures at different stages of the cooking process, you can have both a crusty outside and medium rare inside.

* For the best accuracy, especially when tackling a piece of meat, “Get a digital thermometer with a probe that attaches with a length of wire.”

* Bring foods to room temperature before roasting (for up to 30 minutes).

* Lightly oil the food that you want to roast.

* Always season the food that you want to roast: use kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, don’t be shy.

* “Roast at different temperatures. Either start low and finish high, or in the case of pork and chicken, vice versa.”

* Buy big – for leftovers!

* When buying beef, look for “choice” grades.  They’ll have better marbling and will keep moist while cooking.

* Rest meats after they come out of the oven. According to Alton: “Resting gives the heat and pressure inside the meat time to subside, and that allows the juices locked inside to be absorbed back into the meat tissues.”

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Alton provides 6 different roasting recipes in this chapter.

These range from the simple (baked potato) to more complex (rib roast).

I chose to make Slow-Roast Tomatoes.

To make these, you’ll need:

20 ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

3 T. sugar

2 T. mixed fresh, minced herbs (thyme, rosemary & sage)

1T. kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees F (I actually set mine to 200 degrees). Place the tomato halves cut side up on a baking pan (one with a rack is best, if you have it), drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sugar, then herbs and finally salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for at least 10 hours.

These will keep well in a zip bag in the fridge, or you can freeze them.

Alton suggests: trying them on bread with basil and olive oil, adding them to salads, soups, risotto, pizza, spaghetti sauce.

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I halved this recipe and used 10 vine ripened tomatoes.

You can use any herbs that you like.

I have rosemary growing in my yard.

(And it’s a good thing we like it, because it grows like a weed!)

Mince your herbs as small as you like.

This is how my tomatoes looked before going in the oven.

And this is how they looked after roasting at 200 degrees for 10 hours.

They are delicious on a simple cracker or piece of bread, with a dollop of your favorite cheese.

Here I’ve used goat cheese.

I often find myself with a half container of sour cream, creme fraiche or ricotta, left over from another recipe.  You could use any of these to make a delicious hor d’oeuvre for your next get together.  Here I’ve mixed a bit of sour cream, a couple roasted tomatoes and sliced green onions – yum!

I hope you’ll give Slow Roast Tomatoes a try!

They really are worth making, since they are both tasty and versatile.

We’ll be happily munching on these until my next Two Spoonfuls post!

Now… I wonder what Ginny is baking over in her kitchen…

Jenn : )

Tags: Alton Brown, cooking, Ginny, roasting, tomatoes, Two Spoonfuls

This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 11:33 am and is filed under Two Spoonfuls. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.