Bruschetta with Roasted Cherry Tomato, Rosemary and Onion

Although it is November and most Americans are thinking about cooking turkeys and pies, the long summer meant that Betsy and I only recently finished harvesting our gardens. Now I am working to deal with tomatoes (red and green), chard, last green beans, sweet potatoes, and the last of the raspberries. Today I came across this recipe which helped me use most of my cherry tomatoes.

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Bruschetta with Roasted Cherry Tomato, Rosemary and Onion

Adapted from Epicurious

Serves 6-10, depending on if it's a meal or a snack

For the topping:

1/2 c olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

3 teas finely chopped fresh rosemary, although I think you could use dried (only 1 1/2 teas)

3/4 teas salt

1 teas freshly ground pepper

2 pounds cherry tomatoes (I used a variety of types), halved

1 small onion, sliced or chopped

2 teas fresh lemon juice

ricotta cheese, optional

baby arugula, micro greens, or parsley, optional

Mix the oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and onions and stir to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes or so. Line a rimmed large baking sheet with parchment paper and dump the tomato mixture on to the paper. Spread the mixture out so tomatoes are in a single layer. 

Place in the center of your oven and turn on the oven to 250F. (Unless your oven's preheat feature is so hot you think it may burn the mixture--then preheat.) Cook for several hours until the tomatoes have become wrinkly and have reduced in size. The cooking sauce should have thickened noticeably and will be similar to tomato sauce. Remove from oven and stir in lemon juice. 

Allow to cool a bit and dig in or allow to rest until completely cool. Spread on top of prepared bread and enjoy. If available, top with a dollop of ricotta cheese and some greens and serve. 

This can be frozen so you can enjoy the flavor of tomatoes in the wintertime.

For the bread:

Toast slices of baguette or ciabatta. Rub with a cut piece of garlic while still hot.  

Notes: 

I have found that tomatoes can be roasted at almost any heat. I did it at this low heat today so I could leave the kitchen and go dig sweet potatoes. If you roast them at a higher temperature (as high as 425F) you will have to shorten the time and check more often to keep them and the onions from scorching. 

To make this more of an open face sandwich lay a piece of prosciutto on the toast before adding the other ingredients.