A Beautiful Coffee Table Display

 Flowers from a friend. A treasure from another friend.  If you look very close, you can see an embroidered white initial V on the napkin.

Blessings!

HOMEGROWN TOMATOES ROASTED INTO FOCACCIA

 

This was the first year that I grew tomatoes and had success. I followed a wise friend’s advice, and planted, fertilized, watered, and treated for bugs. I covered the plants with mesh so the birds wouldn’t eat them. That is key!

Out of 5 plants, I grew about 25 regular size tomatoes and 40 cherry tomatoes.  The taste of that out of the garden tomato just cannot be matched with grocery store tomatoes.

I knew that when I had an abundance of them, I would not make sauce.  Instead my friend Mary shared a recipe with me on how to roast tomatoes with olive oil, shallots, garlic and salt and pepper.  I baked them in a low temperature oven for 3 hours.

Meanwhile, I made  a batch of focaccia dough, let it rise and put it in the fridge for 2 days.  When I was ready to bake it, I let the formed dough sit on the counter for 3 more hours, topped it with the roasted tomatoes and shallots and baked it in the oven. 20 minutes later, I spread a good amount of grated mozzarella on top and put it back into the oven for 5 minutes only until the cheese melted. 

Here was one  of the more perfect tomatoes.

 

After the final rising. 

This dish was fabulous. Freezes well in parchment, then foil.