Is There Anything Else?

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And earlier this evening we enjoyed Homemade Oven-roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup.

How To:

It’s so simple you’ll be asking yourself why you didn’t make it before. Cook longer in the oven or heat it up afterwards in a pot and you’ve got sauce good enough for pastas and pizza. The only difference is the thickness of the liquid.

1. Pop a bunch of tomatoes in a pan with some fresh basil, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Apply a little balsamic vinegar or throw in a few garlic cloves if you think you can handle it.

2. Roast on a high temperature (around 400 F) until the tomatoes are cooked and swimming in their own juices (about 30-40 minutes).

3. Work those delicious, juicy tomatoes through a food mill to separate the seeds and skins from the good stuff. Take advantage of the fact that no one seems to want these awesome, old-school contraptions anymore what with all the new-fangled electric gadgets available. I got mine for 5 bucks at a yard sale. I got my friend one too.

4. Add some salt and pepper to taste. I sprinkled some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top and served with a piece of toasted rosemary bread from the market. Take that Campbell’s!

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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7 thoughts on “Is There Anything Else?

  1. Do you roast the tomatoes whole? Or halved, skin side up?

    I roast them whole although in this case I sliced a little and pushed the basil into the crevices to keep it moist. I do however make oven-dried tomatoes by slicing cherry-sized tomatoes in half and slow cooking on a really low heat. That is delicious too!

  2. Wow! $5 at a yard sale. I have been looking for a decent one for awhile but it seems that I have been unable to turn one up.

    I am assuming of course you are talking about the hand cranked food mill, and not the cone shaped one that you use a wooden dowel with?

    Checked ebay and all the ones for less than $30 are aluminum. It would be nice to get a stainless steel one.

  3. Rob: Eek. No. The wooden dowel version… which I love using. I never see the hand crank version. I’m sure they are faster but the dowel version has served me well.

  4. Ciao all-

    I have the hand-cranked version and it does work very well, but for the quantities I mill, I’d love an electric one. Mine also takes a bit of work to clean, as the only part that comes off is the slide. It grips onto a surface with a gasket clamp, but with a lot of use, it can slip, so I re-clamp with each load. I put it on the side of the sink, put a piece of cling film underneath it into a large bowl in the sink, and a small bowl on the skins/seeds side and crank away. Today I’m doing 20 lbs of Italian pastes and am really wishing for an automated one. I’ll try to post a picture at some point.

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