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.

 

 

Roasted Tomatoes
 

Ingredients
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Drain tomatoes.
  3. Cut in half lengthwise and place cut-side up in a large roasting pan or cookie sheet with sides.
  4. Bake for one hour, then remove pan and drain any juices.
  5. Drizzle 3 tbsp olive oil over the tomatoes.
  6. Bake for another 90 minutes, then turn oven off and let sit in oven for another 30 minutes.
  7. (After two hours of baking remove any smaller tomatoes that may be getting black.)