Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

If you do not have a wood burning stove in your house then of course, fire roasting the Roma tomatoes on a pan in an outdoor charcoal grill over indirect heat will impart a smokier flavor, though the cooking time increases due to most grills having a lower temperature. Indirect heat on the charcoal grill means that you are setting up an outdoor oven, so to speak, where the coals are on one side of the grill, and the roasted product is on the other side. The indoor oven works just fine too.

In addition, if you are not fond of spiciness you can reduce or omit the white pepper and chili powder in the recipe also.

Ingredients




Cooking spray


12
Each
Roma or plum tomatoes, halved


2
Tsp
Garlic salt


2
Tsp
White pepper


2
Tbsp
Balsamic vinegar


2
Tsp
Crystal hot sauce


1
Tsp
Chili powder


2
Tsp
Smoky paprika


2
Tbsp
Fresh basil, chopped


1
Tbsp
Fresh oregano, chopped


1
Tbsp
Fresh thyme, chopped






Procedure Steps        Note: Pre-heat oven to 400° F.


1.
Place halved tomatoes on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Season them with the garlic salt and white pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. If roasted in the pan on indirect heat on a charcoal grill double the cooking time.


2.
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add 8 of the tomatoes (16 halves) with the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Dice the remaining 4 (8 halves) tomatoes and fold into the sauce. Use the sauce for any preparation calling for Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce, reserve any left over sauce for other uses.