Photos and text by KARA DiCAMILLO/ecoRI.org News
contributor
When I moved into my current home one of the things I was
devastated about was that I didn’t have room for a vegetable garden. The one in
my previous yard was 4 feet by 6 feet, so you can imagine that it was a
difficult transition. There is just something about the satisfaction of growing
your own food.
Luckily, my new home has a roof over the kitchen that is
flat and accessible from a window in one of the bedrooms. That’s when the idea
came about: a rooftop garden! Not only is the roof the perfect size, but it’s
also in the sun all day long.
This is the fourth summer that I’ve had a garden on my
roof, and my tomatoes this year are flourishing. I grow a few different
varieties, but one of my favorites is the Roma tomatoes. I use them mostly for
sauce because they are so deliciously sweet, but they also are yummy roasted
and grilled.
You can slather this roasted tomato butter on just about
anything, from crusty bread to steak to corn. I used in on the corn from my CSA
this week, in addition to the garlic, and the tomatoes were from my rooftop
garden. You can add herbs also if you’d like, but I decided to eliminate them
and let the tomatoes really be the star.
Roasted Tomato Butter
Makes about a half-cup
Makes about a half-cup
8 small Roma or plum tomatoes, halved
2 cloves of garlic (with skin)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Stick of unsalted butter, quartered
2 cloves of garlic (with skin)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
Stick of unsalted butter, quartered
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Place the tomatoes and
garlic on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and
pepper. Turn the tomatoes to evenly coat and place them in the oven to roast
for two hours.
Once
the garlic has cooled, peel the skin off and transfer it, and the tomatoes,
into a food processor. Add the butter in addition to a teaspoon of salt. Blend
the ingredients until smooth and then transfer the butter mixture onto a piece
of plastic wrap. Roll the butter in the wrap and twist the corners, similar to
a piece of candy. Refrigerate for two hours.