Roasted Tomato Sauce

Cool summer weather around here has led to late tomatoes this year. The heirloom variety of paste/sauce tomatoes I persuaded my mom to plant this year have finally come to fruition. And since I have been put in charge of tending the garden while she is out of town, I am the lucky recipient of the main load of tomatoes this week. And what better way to enjoy than a fresh, easy sauce great for pasta or anything else you might fancy tomato sauce on.  We made chicken parmesan one night and pasta for lunch one day this weekend. Yum.
Thanks to my sweet cousin, Jenny, for putting the idea into my head. I love this sauce!! It calls for Roma but you can use any tomato with wonderful results. Cooking time may vary.

Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce from Deborah Madison

makes about 2 cups

21/2 lbs Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 sprigs of fresh thyme or marjoram

salt and pepper

2-3 tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet with onions and thyme in a single layer.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle all over with olive oil. Bake until they are soft, shriveled, and falling apart, 45 min- 1 hour. Remove thyme branches and puree or pass through a food mill. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Note: If using large slicing type tomatoes, slice into thick slices and proceed as stated. The batch shown here was made with a combination of slicing and sauce tomatoes.