Roasted Tomato Sauce

I was running around all day today, getting ready for my trip to Denver. I had no intention of creating a blog post. I also couldn't let 2 1/2 pounds of tomatoes I purchased earlier this week go to waste. I bought them to make a roasted tomato soup, but there was just too much going on to get to it. So, this morning I stared into a bag of beautiful tomatoes. The original plan was to roast them and freeze them whole until I got back. The thing is that I forgot that I was supposed to drizzle them with olive oil and dress them up all fancy before roasting them. Then I realized I didn't have any ziploc bags to put them in. I did have some freezer containers,  I figured I would eventually puree them anyway, so I pulled out the immersion blender. What I ended up with was an amazingly thick, yet smooth tomato sauce. With the risk of sounding like a soup commercial, it was so thick I could scoop it up with a fork. Scoop it up I did, right into my mouth. I was eating this stuff like applesauce. Roasting the tomatoes made them super sweet.  I have made a lot of tomato sauce on the stove top. It is a long messy process that usually yields pretty thin results. This was the perfect texture for pasta or pizza sauce. No salt, no olive oil, no seasoning, nothing yet this sauce was incredibly good and flavorful. I was amazed by the whole thing. So, as I sit here in the airport waiting for my flight I thought I would share it with you. It really is a beautiful thing. If you are reading this in Fairbanks I used the heirloom tomatoes from Dave's Tomatoes at the Farmer's Market.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

2 1/2 pounds of fresh market tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut tomatoes into quarters removing white area around stem. If your tomatoes are exceptionally seedy you can scrape out some of  the seeds. They will however get soft during the roasting process and puree easily. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in oven for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until tomatoes are reduced to about half of their original size. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Place tomatoes in a medium bowl and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Use immediately or cover and place in refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze for up to three months. Yields about 2 1/2 cups of sauce plus the unaccounted for forkfuls I ate straight from the bowl.