Random Foodie Post: Seared Tomatoes!!!

I made something awesome today for dinner. I, like many veggie aficionados,often buy a few too many veggies that can be consumed willingly in  say, the week before they rot. This time it was tomatoes. The store had a sale on vine ripe red tomatoes... and even though they are no where as good as farmer's market 'matoes I bought two pounds of them thinking something vague about giant tossed salads and Greek Pizza/ white pizza (For those who DON'T KNOW -sad for you!- a Greek pizza uses a white sauce or olive oil with herbs and feta cheese with sliced tomatoes... and white pizza is just Greek pizza without the feta. Yummy!). 

And today, I opened the fridge to figure out what to make for dinner I saw the last of these poor things. Still OK but with that slight skin dimple of impending doom. I had to use them but I was fresh out of dough, and another salad would turn me into a bunny.

Now, all praises to the mighty internet gods because it came to my rescue. And that of my poor wilty tomatoes.
Meet Skillet Seared Tomatoes. Ah.. the answer to my prayers.

But I did not have all the things. Some of these things are a bit outside the family's shopping comfort level because they go bad before we can use them. So, I subbed. And, our salt has the iodine in. Everything else was the same.. their directions were followed to a T.
So..these are thier ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large ripe plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded Gruyere, Comte, fontina or mozzarella cheese

Remove:

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar, (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instead use:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• teaspoonish of oregano
• 2 teaspoons of garlic and parsley seasoning (it is dried garlic and parsley, NO SALT!!)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• regular pepper, to taste.
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar

And I ended up with these.

Pan seared tomatoes. So tasty!!

We had them with barbecued beef sandwiches. Very fresh and tasty. Were I to make them again I'd add more garlic (it cooked up a bit too sweet in the oil)... and a bit more sugar since these were not heirloom style tomatoes. The sharpness of the cheddar played very nicely with the sweet garlic and zing of the tomato though. I'd also probably leave them on high heat a bit longer to brown them a bit more.