oven-dried tomatoes

I think I’ve purchased my last pint of tomatoes from the farmers market for this year. As someone who has always found fall anxiety-provoking—a reminder of winter’s looming presence—this last purchase is met with not a little bit of sadness. Baltimore has been on its best behavior lately. All bright and blue, putting its best food forward with that sunny fall weather that seems to come and go in a blink.

These oven dried tomatoes are both a final ode to summer and a welcoming nod to fall. Like a little shift in wardrobe, replacing sandals with boots and adding a jacket, slowly roasting tomatoes in the oven takes them from the bright acidity they’ve had all summer long, to tangy, savory and deeply sweet. It concentrates the waning flavor of even end-of-season tomatoes to extremely flavorful. You can do this with bigger varieties like roma tomatoes, yielding something meaty and chewy. Or, you can use smaller varieties like I did here to make little savory raisins. Something to be sprinkled on salads and pastas.

You can season these with cumin, turmeric or oregano for even more flavor. I’ve seasoned them simply with a little bit of salt and olive oil. They can last in the fridge for a full week or stored in the freezer for infinity.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

tomatoes (all varieties welcome)

olive oil

kosher salt

Instructions

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 200°F and place rack in the center. Prepare tomatoes by cutting in half, lengthwise. If you are using a rounder variety like beefsteak or most heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters, slicing from stem to butt.

Step 2:

In a bowl, toss tomatoes with a sprinkling of salt and olive oil, so that they are just coated. Not a lot! For a pint, use a tablespoon of olive oil. Allow tomatoes to drain through your fingers, as you remove them from the bowl. Place tomatoes in an even layer on a sheet tray with a rack (this is best, to avoid tomatoes from sticking) or a sheet tray with a sheet of parchment paper. Place tomatoes cut side up.

Step 3:

Place in the oven and allow tomatoes to slowly roast for at least 3 hours, or until they are shriveled to about 1/3 of their original size. Smaller tomatoes will take about 3 hours, while roma or beefsteak tomatoes will take about 4 hours. Keep an eye on them, checking every hour. Do not roast so long that they brown or crispy. Your end product should be chewy, still soft and a little bit juicy. Remove from sheet tray and place in a dry, air tight container.