Semi Oven Dried Tomatoes

Since plum tomatoes (also known as Roma) are always cheap and always in season, roasting them just makes sense. Roasting brings out the sweetness in this otherwise boring variety of tomatoes.
I don't eat these tomatoes raw, they are best for sauces and cooking.

You can roast a whole bunch of them and have them for sandwiches, salads and even a tomato crostata (tomorrow's post!). They are delicious!

Years ago, I would oven dry them at a very low oven temperature of 200F for 10 hours.
But I found that I did not like the smell that was left in the kitchen after cooking them for that period of time, and I also don't like to go to sleep (or leave the house) with the oven on for such a long time period. (I don't leave the house with the dryer on either, I can tell you a nightmare story if you want).

So.....I now roast my tomatoes at a higher heat for less time! They stay plumper and are not as shriveled as oven dried tomatoes. I will call them Semi Oven Dried!

Preheat oven to 300F.



Cut your tomatoes in half and lay them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, it makes cleanup much easier.

Drizzle tomato halves with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and fresh thyme leaves.



Leave in the oven for 3-4 hours, until they look to your liking. I turn the oven off and let them sit another hour or so.



Store in a container in the fridge for up to a week.
You can drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over them to keep them nice and shiny and moist.