"Candied" Tomatoes

This method is based on one in Suzanne Somers' book, "Eat Great, Lose Weight" which has some fabulous recipes. I snip these into bite-sized pieces and add them to salads, knead them into bread dough and use them to top focaccia.

You will need:

Ripe Roma-type plum tomatoes, washed, cored and cut in half lengthwise

olive oil

salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a half-sheet pan (cookie sheet with sides) with parchment or lightly oil it. Arrange tomato halves cut side up on the pan. It's okay to crowd them together side by side; they will shrink as they bake.

Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, if desired.

Bake for 2 to 3 hours until they are chewy and just slightly moist in the center. The natural sugars will caramelize and the sweet tomato flavor will become very concentrated.

Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature. Pack tightly into glass jars and then cover with good quality olive oil.

Candied tomatoes prepared this way can safely be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to a year. Do not store at room temperature.

As a bonus, the flavored oil can be used in cooking or salad dressings.