SLOW DOWN!

No, not another slow-cooker recipe. yes, I know I obviously have a long-standing, and now very public, love affair with my crockpot (my husband knows), but here you need nothing more than an oven. This is a killer side dish, and four out of five of the Farrars love it. Picky number 3 is a different matter, but hey, you can't please all the people all the time.  He does however like to mess with the ingredients as I try to cook....

Now, I love me some Barefoot Contessa. I find her TV programme on the Food Network immensely relaxing, and I swear our hyperactive, sensory-seeking puppy does too, as he loves nothing more than to nap on my lap as I soak up some Ina while the kids are in school. It's half an hour of relaxed bliss in an otherwise frantic life. It is just lovely to briefly dip my toes into the life of someone who spends most of her days in her top-notch, luxury, converted Hamptons barn-kitchen, except when she is oput in her 3 acre herb garden plucking fresh goodies from the fertile soil, or driving the Mercedes to the florist and dreaming up table arrangements. I can't say it has impacted our family wholesale: the only barn we have in our yard is a plastic cabinet containing earthquake supplies; I don't think my minivan has ever visited a florist, at least not with me at the wheel; our garden basil patch had its inaugural season last year and is approximately 2 feet square; and the only table arrangement you will see at my house most nights is wipe-clean mats and an open bottle of red wine.

This recipe is taken from Ina Garten's 'Back to Basics' book. The only tweaks I have made since I started cooking this is that I cook the tomatoes at a lower temperature and for longer than she recommends. This is often because I am cooking something else simultaneously, and I don't want the oven set to the 450 degrees she recommends. I also use less olive oil, and prefer Roma tomatoes, as I find they hold together a bit better.

Roasted Tomatoes with Basil
Serves 4 (would probably serve 5, if all were willing...)

12 firm roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise with seeds removed (but leave cores intact)
1/4 cup good olive oil (I use less)
1 1/2 TBSP aged balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
handful of basil leaves, julienned

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange tomatoes in a 9x13 pan, cut sides up.
3. Drizzle over oil and balsamic vinegar, then sprinkle with garlic, sugar, salt and pepper.
4. Roast for 35-40 minutes until tomatoes start to caramelize and flavors are concentrated.
5. Sprinkle basil over the top and serve warm.