Ingredients
- 4 each red, yellow and orange Intergrow tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 each personal-sized ciabatta bread, toasted with olive oil and garlic
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella
- 2 cups fresh arugula
- 12 each whole basil leaves
- ¼ cup reduced balsamic vinegar
Method
Preheat oven to 200°F. Wash tomatoes and cut out the stem core. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds, leaving as much pulp as possible.
Place tomatoes, cut sides up, on a lightly oiled sheet tray. They can be placed closely together since they shrink considerably during baking.
Combine garlic and olive oil; spoon over tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 6 to 8 hours or until tomatoes are reduced in size but will retain their shape.
With about a half hour left in roasting the tomatoes, sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of the tomatoes. (Note: The time the tomatoes take to cook will vary because their size and moisture content vary.)
By the end, they are almost caramelized and crispy on the edges. Remove from oven and let cool. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.
To assemble the sandwich, toast the ciabatta bread with olive oil and garlic.
Place the tomatoes on the top and bottom of the ciabatta. Cover the tomatoes with sliced mozzarella cheese and bake in a 350°F oven until the cheese melts.
Top each half with arugula and basil leaves.
Drizzle with reduced balsamic vinegar and close the sandwich. Cut and serve at once.
Tips on Tomatoes
- A good serrated knife is far superior to a flat-edged knife for slicing tomatoes. If you use a flat-edged knife, be certain it is very sharp or you will squash and bruise the tomato flesh when slicing.
- Do not use an aluminum pot, pan or utensil when cooking tomatoes. The acid in the tomato reacts unfavorably with the aluminum and can pit and discolor the aluminum cookware.
- The high acid content of tomatoes naturally slow down the cooking process of some other foods. For example, beans cooked with tomatoes may take up to twenty percent more cooking time than without.
- Plum tomatoes are best used for sauces. Globe, cherry, and grape tomatoes are best for eating raw, although all varieties are good.
- Herbs that marry well with tomatoes include basil, oregano, marjoram, pepper, dill weed, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, celery seed, sesame seed, tarragon, chives, and parsley. If you happen to be the unfortunate victim of the wrong end of a skunk, tomato juice will neutralize butyl mercaptan, the prime ingredient in the stinky defensive spray.
