coraa | (no subject) (Reply)

Cook's Illustrated taught me that if you can't get good fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes are better for most (not all) applications than mediocre fresh tomatoes. This is doubly true if you have time to roast the canned tomatoes, to concentrate and slightly caramelize the flavors. I used this lesson tonight in making World's Easiest Bruschetta (canned crushed tomatoes, roasted at 350 for an hour or so [long enough to largely dry them out, but -- this is important -- not entirely] and then broiled for 5 minutes, mixed with an equal quantity of decent-quality olive tapenade [you can make your own, but then it's not World's Easiest anymore], and spread on well-toasted rounds of bread). It was also pretty darn healthy, especially since the tapenade I used didn't have too much salt or oil.

Unfortunately, all the cooking I do, combined with my general clumsiness, means I burn myself a lot. At least I don't cut myself, I guess. Ow.