When I was a child, we used to vacation in northern Michigan at Dick and Marcia Bentz’s cabin near Gaylord. Dick was a hunting buddy of my dad’s, and Marcia and Mom were very dear friends. Marcia was a great cook and grew her own vegetables. One day she brought out this 9 x 12 pan full of the most delicious marinated tomatoes. Here’s the recipe as my mom taught me.
12 – 15 medium sized, preferably home grown tomatoes
1 large red or white onion, thinly sliced
Marinade:
6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp dry
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 Tbsp. dry
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp dry
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 – 3 tsp. salt (to taste)
2 tsp. black pepper
When you make the marinade, mix the herbs, salt and pepper in the vinegar until the salt is dissolved and the herbs, if dry, no longer float. Then add the oil. Olive oil is ok, but gets hard when refrigerated.
Peel the tomatoes by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Make a small X in the bottom of each tomato with a paring knife. Place the tomatoes a few at a time in the boiling water for about one minute, or until the skin begins to peel at the X. Remove promptly to ice water to stop the cooking process. The skins should slip right off. Core each tomato with a paring knife.
Place all the peeled cored tomatoes in a 9 x 12 baking dish in a single layer, cover with the sliced onions, pour the marinade over, and marinate for at least 8 hours, turning the tomatoes every couple of hours. The tomatoes don’t need to be refrigerated for this first marinade, as the acid in the vinegar and tomatoes combined with the salt in the dressing will keep it from spoiling, but leftovers should be refrigerated. I never like to refrigerate tomatoes as cold temps will kill an enzyme that contributes to their great taste (if they’re home grown!) Serve over lettuce in a salad bowl. Mmmmmm.
Mom and Dad, Dick and Marcia have all passed away, but the memories and the recipes live on!
Happy gardening.
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