Oil-Free Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Many years ago I came to the conclusion that I didn’t enjoy the taste of sun-dried tomatoes, yet I still liked the idea of using them when making vegetable stock and as a topping on a variety of dishes like this pizza. So I set out to make my own oven roasted version. This is so stinking easy you’ll be scratching your head wondering why you bother purchasing those expensive jars of sun-dried tomatoes when you can make them at home. No sun needed!
Ingredients:
12 ripe Roma or Campari tomatoes
1/4 cup water
fresh herbs or a seasoning blend, my favorite is Herbs de Provence
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 250 F.
Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the center hard core near the top of the tomato and arrange on a parchment-lined baking pan, cut side up.
Drizzle a little water over each tomato and then sprinkle with either the fresh herbs or dried herb blend.
Bake the tomatoes for 4-6 hours. Low and slow, this will give those tomatoes a more concentrated flavor and the longer you roast them, the more dried they become.
You can serve the tomatoes immediately as is, toss them with pasta and fresh basil, or refrigerate or freeze them for use later. Once you begin making these you’ll find yourself making a larger batch or roasting up just a few tomatoes to use them up before they go to waste.
