Head over to MJ’s for Freezer Food Friday.  Then, if you have a GF recipe to share that freezes well, come on back and join in on the fun!

Freezer Food Friday

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Join in on Gluten Free-zer Friday:

1. If you would like to participate in Gluten Free-zer Friday, simply email your post link to your gluten free freezer recipe (angelas_kitchenATcomcastDOTnet) or leave a comment below and I will add you to the roundup.

2. Link back to this post on the post with the recipe you have linked.

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My dad brought me 7 pints of tiny grape tomatoes.  Yes, it is May in Minnesota and as such, not such a seasonal thing (we just got our tomato plants in the ground here!), BUT I can’t let anything go to waste!  This is a great “recipe” for when you are overrun with tomatoes later on in the season.  The slow roasting process (which partly dries and caramelizes the sugars in the tomatoes) really intensifies the flavors of the tomatoes and can turn even supermarket ‘maters into little balls of heaven.

As I have yet to come across a home canning safe recipe for roasted tomatoes such as these (or has a processing time for less than and 90 minutes?!?  Sheesh!), so I freeze them.  If the tomatoes I am roasting are cherry tomatoes (over 1″ around) or very small romas, I cut them in half, placing them cut side up on the pan after tossing with olive oil and pepper.

These are amazing with eggs, on pizza, on toasted gluten free French bread, chopped on baked potatoes, with broiled fish or chicken, tossed with gluten free pasta, etc., etc.  Roasting tomatoes is hardly a new thing, but this is how I do it…

Slow Roasted Caramelized Tomatoes

Grape, cherry or very small roma tomatoes, washed and stems removed

Bulbs of garlic (1/2 bulb per pan of tomatoes)

olive oil (1-2 Tablespoon per pan)

fresh cracked pepper

Fresh herbs to toss with the tomatoes at the end of cooking time

Preheat oven to 425.  Line rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.  I needed 2 half-sheet pans for 7 pints of grape tomatoes.  Set aside.

If tomatoes are cherry or small romas larger that 1″ around, slice in half lengthwise.  Put tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil.  Toss tomatoes in the oil until coated and shiny.  You just need enough oil to give them a nice sheen.  Place tomatoes on your parchment lined baking sheet(s).  Break your garlic bulb apart, leaving the cloves unpeeled.  Place cloves from 1/2 of a garlic bulb on each baking sheet, mixing in with the tomatoes.  Be sure tomatoes are in a single layer.  If your tomatoes are cut in half, set them so the cut side is up.  Season with pepper.

Put in 425 degree oven.  Roast for 15 minutes.  Lower oven heat to 225 degrees.  Rotate the baking pan.  Allow to slow roast at lower temperature for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until dry and shriveled up, but still retaining some chewy-softness.  (Like sun dried tomatoes.)  After garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the roasted garlic and mix with the tomatoes.  You can now add fresh minced herbs, if you wish.

Use right away or allow to cool on the pan.

To Freeze: After tomatoes cool and garlic has been squeezed from peels, place baking sheet into freezer.  Allow tomatoes to freeze.  Pack tomatoes and garlic into small freezer bags or containers, removing as much air as possible, labeling and freeze.  Freezing this way allows a “loose pack” of the tomatoes, so that you can remove as many as needed without thawing the entire container of tomatoes.