Roasted Tomato Coulis

Grilled tomatoes? Creating a bit of herb smoke from the bbq while roasting tomatoes and garlic gives a nice flavor to this coulis.

What's a coulis you ask?
It's just simply a term referring to a thick puree or sauce.
Sounds fancy, but is really easy to make.






6-8 sprigs of fresh oregano
4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
4-6 sprigs of fresh cilantro
6 medium tomatoes, cored
1 head garlic, top quarter cut off
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Soak the herb sprigs in cold water in a ziploc bag for at least 20 minutes.  Prepare the grill to medium-high.  Drizzle the tomatoes and garlic with the olive oil.  Make a bed of herbs directly on the grill.  Arrange the tomatoes and garlic on top of the herbs.  Cover with a piece of foil to seal in the heat.  Grill for about 30-45 minutes or until the tomatoes are roasted and slightly charred and the garlic is just softening.  Remove from the grill and let cool.

Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a saucepan.  Pull the skins from the tomatoes then add them to the saucepan.  Add 1-2 tablespoons more of olive oil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Process in a food processor and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set aside to cool.

Now you have a base for a simple pasta dish, pour it over a grilled chicken breast or use it on toasted crostini topped off with some fresh mozzarella cheese and chopped basil. 

There are so many possibilities...how would you use this sauce?