Mrs. Regueiro's Plate: Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Herbs

I'm enjoying the last harvest of my lovely San Marzano tomatoes and I'm sad to see them go. However, I've enjoyed at least 6 to 7 harvests from this lovely tomato plant and it's almost time to welcome the fall and winter garden. After using tomatoes in a variety of ways from fresh pico de gallo, tomato sauces, sandwiches, salads and all by themselves - I wanted to use them in a side dish to compliment my roasted chicken and vegetables dish. It's almost like looking for the best accessories for your LBD (little black dress) - what do you pair it with?

I came across this recipe from Giada at Home, a borrowed cookbook from a girlfriend, and the recipe quickly had me drooling. With a couple of additional ingredients - the roasted garlic, creamy Gorgonzola cheese, and nutty panko crumbs - it instantly boosts the simple San Marzano tomatoes. Roasting tomatoes is a great way to highlight the delicious flavors of your summertime harvest. The leftovers would work great chopped up and thrown into pasta sauce. This is such a wonderful and easy side dish to prepare and paired perfectly with the roasted chicken and vegetables and macaroni and cheese. Or you can have this served as an appetizer at your next dinner gathering. Don't you always feel relieved when you find the perfect accessories to your LBD or in this case PFD - perfect chicken dinner. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gorgonzola & Herbs
Adapted from Giada at Home (Show)
Ingredients:
12 San Marzano tomatoes (or Roma), sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup panko crumbs
3/4 cup finely crumbled Gorgonzola
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a teaspoon, remove the seeds from the tomatoes. Place the tomato halves on a large plate with paper towels to drain, cut side down for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Gently toss the drained tomato halves in the oil mixture until coated. Marinate the tomatoes for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and Gorgonzola cheese.

Place the marinated tomato halves, cut side up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Fill each tomato half with the bread crumb filling. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly softened and the underside of the tomatoes are brown.

Arrange the cooked tomatoes on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Review: This was almost like eating a sun-dried tomato with cheese! The creamy Gorgonzola cheese and nutty bits of panko crumbs mixed with the fresh tomatoes melts in your mouth. DELICIOUS! Next time, maybe a nutty Gouda cheese or garnish it with fresh basil instead of parsley. I'm already sad to see my tomato plant disappear because it's been such a treat to go pick tomatoes from my garden whenever I needed them. At least, I had several great harvests from my tomato plant. I can't wait for my fall/winter garden but I need to decide what to plant!

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