Oven-dried Tomatoes

I had an overflow of Roma tomatoes from the Farmers' Market last weekend, so I decided to make my own pseudo sun-dried tomatoes.

They're easy and yummy, so if you want to give them a shot, try this out:

Preheat your oven to 200.  Slice several Roma tomatoes vertically and place them in a bowl.  Salt them with fine sea salt, throw in some  chopped herbs, and add a couple of glugs of your favorite olive oil.  I chose a combination of Texas Olive Ranch's EVOO and Mesquite-smoked varieties to give the tomatoes extra oomph.  I selected rosemary for my herb.  Toss the tomatoes in the salt, herb, and oil, then lay them on a Silpat in a roasting pan.  If you don't have a Silpat, use parchment.  These will get caramelly-sticky all over your pan if you don't create a barrier.  Now for the slow part:  Put them in the oven for between 3 and 6 hours, depending on the thickness of your slices.

Start checking on the tomatoes after a few hours.  You're looking for a dry, crinkly texture and sweet, condensed flavor.  When they're ready, cool them and pack them in a jar with olive oil.  Put them in the fridge and they're ready to use.  Mmm-mmm good.

Pretty, too.  Don't you think?