Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Summer came late to our little corner of the California Coast and as a result I'm enjoying a late bumper crop of tomatoes! Slow-roasting tomatoes brings out the sweet, rich taste of tomatoes and would be a great way to bring a taste of summer when winter time rolls around and you can only get those bland hot-house tomatoes at the grocery store. Throw these guys into the oven on a weekend morning and you'll be delighted come dinner time!

I used my roasted tomatoes in a lively marina sauce for chicken Parmesan and pasta. Recipe to follow another time when I can get delicious pictures. We had company over so my husband frowned on me stopping everything to get just the right photo.....

 Tomatoes Before.....

Tomatoes After!

 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1-2 lbs tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters depending on size

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees

2. Combine first 7 ingredients, tossing gently to coat the tomatoes

3. Arrange tomatoes cut side up, on a baking speed coated with a bit of cooking spray. 

4. Place in oven and leave to roast for 3 hours

Yep, that's it! 

Once cooled you can serve in a salad, chopped and tossed with hot pasta and a touch of olive oil or added to your regular tomato sauce for a boost of flavor. These tomatoes would be a great accent to fish or chicken as well.