This is our favorite appetizer at Cafe Lago in Seattle. Roasted tomatoes served on crostini with a bit of goat cheese. They call it Pomodori al Forno. I asked our waitress how they get their tomatoes so intensely flavorful, and she said they slow-roast canned tomatoes in their wood-fired oven. Slow is the key word here. It take three hours in the oven to dehydrate them. Worth every penny of electricity. I like to get the most bang for the buck so I buy the giant 102-oz can of peeled, whole tomatoes at Costco, which costs less than $3.00. In addition to putting them on grilled bread with a splash of olive oil and some kalamata olives, I throw them on pasta and on top of pizzas.
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Drain tomatoes.
- Cut in half lengthwise and place cut-side up in a large roasting pan or cookie sheet with sides.
- Bake for one hour, then remove pan and drain any juices.
- Drizzle 3 tbsp olive oil over the tomatoes.
- Bake for another 90 minutes, then turn oven off and let sit in oven for another 30 minutes.
- (After two hours of baking remove any smaller tomatoes that may be getting black.)