TOMATOES
Level 2
Chewy Tomato Roll Ups
from Michael Lachowitz, formerly of Le Francais Restaurant, Chicago
Michael converts his wrinkly tomatoes into a veggie version of a fruit roll-up. Separating pulp from peels, he places the tomato into a marinade of thyme, garlic, olive oil, and sugar. He covers the container and refrigerating it overnight. The following day, he rubs any excess marinade off the peels and tosses them lightly with salt and olive oil. Arranging them on a cookie sheet, Michael puts them in a cold oven (that is, with the oven “off”) for a day or two. (If using an electric oven, a temperature setting on “warm” works just as well but probably will require less than 24 hours.)
The next day, those wrinkly tomatoes emerge from the oven dehydrated, and intensely flavored. Michael unrolls the peels, brushes them lightly with olive oil and rolls them up again for slicing. He cuts them width-wise to yield tight spirals. “They’re great for dropping into tomato-based sauces or stews,” says Michael. “They give a dish visual interest, but also when you bite into them – it’s wow, what’s this?”
