I’ve been enjoying these sweet and sour roasted tomatoes. They’re the perfect little addition to many foods. You have the natural sweetness of the tomato that has been enhanced by roasting but also by the addition of a little sugar. That’s the sweet part. The sour part comes from a drizzle of vinegar. I used white balsamic, but any vinegar you like will work to make these yummy little delights.
The recipe comes from Pescan A Feel Good Cookbook by actress Abbie Cornish and her friend (and chef) Jacqueline King Schiller. The name “pescan” derives from a plant forward way of eating which includes fish and seafood. You’ve probably heard of pescatarians. The pescan way includes plenty of beans, grains and eggs, but no dairy and no other meat aside from seafood.
The recipes were developed when Abbie asked her friend Jacq to teach her to cook. The two went out on Sundays to local markets, bought ingredients, and spend the rest of the day cooking. They’d finish with a meal lovingly prepared for family and friends.
Served up on Artisan Sweet Potato and Onion bread (tap for recipe)
The cookbook is loaded with lots of simple recipes that can easily be incorporated into a daily meal plan. There’s also instructions for batch cooking so you can quickly pull together a plant forward meal, plus menu plans for more formal meals and parties. There’s also a chapter on dairy free desserts that I’m sure many people will appreciate.
As a flexitarian I found the recipes to be both delicious and compelling. There aren’t any “far out” ingredients, instead you’ll find classic dishes interpreted in fresh ways. For example: a dairy free mushroom lasagna with a cashew based cream or shrimp and roasted vegetables served over wild rice and charred grapefruit (I’ve got to make that happen sometime this summer…).
I found this little gem of recipe in the egg section. Larger roma tomatoes were roasted and served over very soft scrambled eggs alongs with caramelized onions. Right now in my area the best tomatoes are cherry or grape tomatoes so I used them. You can adapt this to any size or amount of tomatoes and if you meal prep it’s simple enough to pop a tray in the oven while you’re cooking for the week.
Ingredients
- enough ripe cherry or grape tomatoes for four servings cut in half (larger varieties can be cut into halves or quarters as needed)
- 1 tablespoon or more extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons or more white balsamic or other sweet vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- sugar to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and prepare a baking tray with parchment paper or cooking spray
- Place the cut up tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon over 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar (depending on the tomato and your taste). Then mix everything together to coat all the pieces.
- Arrange cut side up on the baking tray and roast for 30 minutes or longer until the tomatoes have softened and are starting to dry out.
- Store unused sweet and sour tomatoes for up to a week in the fridge.
How to use Sweet and Sour Roasted Tomatoes
- on chicken and fish as an easy garnish
- in salads for a little sweet bite
- mixed into cream cheese to make a spread
- in or on an omelet (like this one from Anthony Bourdain)
- with bread and spreadable cheese
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