Roast Tomatoes

This is a base "recipe" in the broadest terms.  As with many vegetables and fruits, slow roasting tomatoes is a great way to intensify flavours.  Great when mixed with olives or served on toast with grilled goats cheese or as additions to soups and stews, this is an economical flavour enhancer.

Using end of season tomatoes or those not stored in a cold place are the fruits of choice here.  As all they need is to be spread on a baking tray (already halved or quartered) and sprinkled with dry thyme.

If you are using out of season tomatoes which have come from a cold counter or which are hard when examined, allow them to stand, covered, overnight (or for a few hours) and then proceed as above.  These may also need a slight sprinkling of sugar or salt to taste, but I normally leave this out as if they are not used immediately, they can be kept in a sterilised jars, covered in olive oil, for about a month.  If doing this, I normally add a sprig of rosemary or a couple of bay leaves.

My normal preparation method is a set out above, with the addition of a little olive oil and I bake these slowly for three hours in a low oven (80-100c).  One of my neighbours used to heat the oven to 150c bake initially for 30 minutes and then switch the oven off over night.  The result is not so much as "sun dried" texture but more of a grilled tomato effect. 

Cooks note:  If you are using this same method for whole peppers, remember to check on them even if the heat used is low, they may still burn.  The best way is to halve lengthwise as with tomatoes.  This a very good method for roasting chillies and this is especially so if want to control the heat of the chillies - halve these and remove the seeds - if a milder version is needed.