Wining and Dining: Oven-Roasted Tomato Relish

If you are like me, you get sick and tired of buying tomatoes in bulk at Costco and struggling to eat them before they get old and wrinkly. Well fret no more, friends. Your days of throwing away old tomatoes are over!!! I have recently discovered the best trick to using old tomatoes -- slow roasting them until they become a decadent and delicious relish or pasta sauce! Simply dice the tomatoes, mix them with minced garlic (as much as you like), drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add dried herbs, roast at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, and voila! You have concocted an easy, delicious, healthy, and nutritious relish that is delicious on top of chicken, steak, pork, salmon, pasta, tacos, salad -- the possibilities are endless! I have made this relish numerous times, and I experiment with different spices each time. I would suggest using italian herbs, such as basil, oregano, and parsley; an italian seasoning blend is good, too. Unfortunately I do not have specific measurements to use as I have had different sizes/amounts of tomatoes each time I have made it. This is very simple to make, and all the ingredients are pretty much "to taste" and depend on your specific pallet. Don't be scared to experiment!! Roasting the tomatoes gives them a super nice flavor, and the relish/sauce freezes very well. So, enjoy not wasting tomatoes!!

I used about 1/2 container of grape tomatoes from Costco the first time I made this. I left the tomatoes whole, and I added dried basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. In using this method, the tomatoes created more of a sauce which I used on pasta. In the pictures below, I diced up two roma tomatoes, added approximately 1 teaspoon minced garlic, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic, and added a few shakes of italian seasoning. I am planning on using it on top of my leftover Potato and Onion Frittata for breakfast tomorrow. Bon appetit :)