by cookbook author Susan Spungen

Makes 2 to 3 dozen halves             

Time: 1 ½ hours of hands-off slow roasting.

Excerpt from Susan:

“So that I can preserve this tomato moment for months to come, one of the things I have been making a lot of is Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. This recipe works especially well with plum tomatoes. 

Roasted tomatoes are versatile and can be used in so many ways in different recipes. The flavor is “baked in,” so you can just add a few to a pasta dish, make a soup out of them, add to a frittata, or use them to top toast to brighten up a cold January day. Think of them as “instant tomato sauce.” Since much of the moisture has been cooked out, the tomatoes have been coaxed into jammy perfection.  You can just toss them in a pan and let them break down. They’ll be ready to mix with pasta in minutes, no long simmering required. This method requires you to use your instincts and judgment, rather than a hard-and-fast recipe. Once they are roasted, I freeze them to enjoy later. ”

- Susan Spungen

Roasted tomatoes are delicious served:

• Warm or room temperature on a salad with bacon, blue cheese, and croutons. Use hearty winter lettuce like romaine, chicory, and/or radicchio (if you like bitter lettuce)

• Instead of fresh tomatoes on a BLT

• Add to sautéd chicken with herbs, olives, sautéd zucchini

• Add to a galette, quiche, or quesadillas

You'll need:

3 large garlic cloves, grated on a microplane

3 tablespoons olive oil

28 to 32 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

For a spicy variation:

1 tablespoon Aleppo-style pepper

Procedure:

1. Heat oven to 300°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine the garlic with the oil and set aside.
   
   

2. Arrange the tomatoes close together, with the cut sides up. If any are very large, quarter them. Season with the salt (use a little more if needed to sprinkle everything evenly) and an even sprinkling of pepper. Brush them with the garlic oil, taking care to distribute the garlic evenly with the brush. Sprinkle the thyme leaves over top.

3. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake until the tomatoes are shriveled but still a bit juicy, and the juices on the parchment start to darken. This can take anywhere from 1½ hours for small tomatoes to 2½ hours for larger tomatoes but use your judgment. If you want to make a spicy version, add the Aleppo-style pepper after the first hour. If you double the amount and do two sheet pans, it will take a little longer.

4. Let the tomatoes cool on the sheet pan. The juices will thicken, and they’ll be easier to handle when they’re cool. 

5. Once they’ve cooled, layer them in a flat container with wax paper or parchment between the layers. Chill in the refrigerator, and once cold, freeze for later use. 

Note:

It’s better to chill the tomatoes before putting them in the freezer to reduce the number of ice crystals that form in the container. When ready to use, defrost as many as you need on a plate at room temperature. They will exude some extra liquid, which you can blot with a paper towel or cook off in a pan.