Roasted Cherry Tomatoes With Fennel

Pinterest is one amazing concept and those of you who use it will surely agree with me. It is one place where you can spend hours pinning pictures from all genres or perhaps come across quotes that could inspire you. I have totally fallen for these one:-

 “Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.” 

“Experience is the past tense of experiment.” 

“Theories might inspire you, but experiments will advance you.” 

Yes the common word is “experiment” Experiment is one adventure that everyone must perform without worrying about the end results. And we, as cooks, always tend to experiment in the kitchen; so do you think about the results or you become happy that you tried something new?

Me?? I love to have desi tadka in international dishes like Bell Pepper Noodles or mix two old classic recipes to make a new one like Palak Mutter Paneer or simply give makeover to leftovers like Cabbage Subji Paratha. Honestly, Sometimes I am thrilled with the great outcome and sometimes I am satisfied that I atleast tried -but I am never sad.

So today I bring before you an experimentation that I did and the consequence was totally worth sharing here. You know how the restaurants in the Europe serve some side with everything; French fries with pizza or salad with sandwich. In my recent trip to Paris (remember I shared the picture HERE) I had roasted tomatoes with pasta. The pasta was simple penne with tomato sauce and cheese and roasted tomatoes had same Italian seasoning (herbs, olive oil and garlic) but I liked the idea of roasted tomatoes as side a lot, yes a looott. It was then it clicked me to infuse some Indian spices and ‘experiment’.

I decided to exploit Cherry tomatoes as it has always grabbed my attention for its cuteness and petite shape. Cherry tomatoes roasted to perfection with fennel seeds and black pepper do create some magic. Roasting tomatoes is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness. The flavor profile of the tomato intensifies and you are left with something so simple yet so elegant, you won’t believe your taste buds. You don’t need any method but you do need lot of time to roast the tomatoes, but, what the heck- keep in the oven and forget till your oven rings. *smile*smile*

The recipe is a keeper; well of course you can play with ingredients and experiment. You can have this as a side salad or just apply on toasted bread or toss them up in the pasta dishes- the ideas are unlimited. What you must do is, buy cherry tomatoes and make this.

Ingredients:

4 cups cherry tomatoes

5 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180C

Wash cherry tomatoes and drain the water.

Take the baking tray and lie with foil.

Chop the tomatoes in half. Mix everything together and put on the sheet. Toss with your hands to coat well.

Bake till tomatoes begin to caramelize and skin shrinks. I baked till 45 minutes.

Notes:

Yes you can use simple tomatoes as well. Just chop them in four parts.

Add garlic and oregano for Italian taste. I like this more :-)

This can be stored in fridge in air-tight container for 15-20 days.