What to do with all of those tomatoes!!!

We grew 16 tomato plants this year so to say we are swimming in tomatoes is an understatement. Which I love but unfortunately I tend to eat so many that I get heartburn. B-O-O H-O-O (quote from Breakfast Club).

Here is what we did with the many tomatoes we picked this year:

We baked tomatoes (slice a beefsteak in half, sprinkle with your fav cheese, drizzle with EVOO, add some fresh herbs - we used basil and parsley and a little S&P. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 min)

We made Salsa (I throw white onion, jalapeno, a crown of garlic (which I wrap in foil) and about 3lb roma tomatoes on the grill - just until they are roasted. You can use the broiler instead if you wish. I pulse everything in a food processor until desired consistency. Then I add a cup of chopped cilantro, 1/2c chopped parsley, 5 cloves of raw minced garlic, about 1/3c of diced raw white onion, some cumin to taste, a pinch of sugar, 2 TBSP of white vinegar and a pinch of salt). 

Grilled Pizza (I buy store-bought crust and brush it with grapeseed oil, garlic infused if possible. I add roughly chopped garlic, evenly layer my drained tomatoes, layer fresh basil leaves and then top it with fresh mostzerella and some black pepper. While its cooking on the grill (preheated to about 400) I whisk together high-quality balsamic vinegar and grapeseed oil. I drizzle this over the pizza before serving.)

TIP: The key to a successful pizza or tomato pie (which is not posted) is properly draining the tomatoes. It prevents soggy crust.

Dried Tomatoes

This was BY FAR my favorite way to eat tomatoes. You dry them out in the oven by layering them on a baking sheet, sliced. Drizzle EVOO/Grapeseed oil over them, sprinkle S&P, layer any fresh herbs you like I prefer basil or thyme and about 4-5 cloves of garlic very roughly chopped. Bake at 200 degrees for 2-4 hours depending on your oven. Store in a jar with more EVOO in your fridge. My favorite way to eat this is on a slice of toasted baguette, topped with this tomato mixture and then sprinkled with herbed goat cheese. But you can always mix the tomatoes with pasta and your favorite cheese - I ate the dish below with herbed goat cheese.