You knew there was going to part a part dos, right?  I implied as much with the title, “summer tomatoes, part one,” but left you in suspense for a week in anticipation of that hallowed recipe in which those frisky tomatoes emerge from the oven with an aura of shattering splendor.

No, really.

I found this recipe for slow-roasted tomatoes on Deb Perelman’s food blog, Smitten Kitchen.  When I popped that first shriveled tomato in my mouth, I nearly swooned with sheer ecstasy.  (Side note: I am a firm believer that the word “swoon” is vastly underused.  It is a terribly evocative and dramatic verb that fits into my daily vocabulary quite nicely.  I suggest you employ it in your everyday conversation as well.  It really should be a commonly-used, mainstream word, like “like” or “um.”)

I had no idea that tomatoes could conceal these secret explosive flavors.  I knew the oven was this magical portal to food perfection, but my oven truly outdid itself with these babies.  Their flavors are rich and condensed, and all you need to do is stick some tomatoes in the oven on low heat for 3 hours.  Also, since the oven’s temperature is so low, it doesn’t heat up your bitty apartment kitchen too much, but I recommend cooking them in the cool evenings with the window open anyway.  Throw these darlings into anything and everything… salads, sandwiches, omelets.  Or just eat them straight as a snack.  Store them in the fridge for up to a couple weeks (as if they would last that long…).

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

slow-roasted tomatoes

Cherry, grape or small Roma tomatoes
Whole gloves of garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil
Herbs such as thyme or rosemary (optional)

Preheat the oven to 225.  Slice the tomatoes crosswise in half, and spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil.  Scatter the garlic cloves among the tomatoes.  Drizzle everything with olive oil — just enough to make them glisten.  Sprinkle with chopped herbs and if you’d like, a little amount of salt and pepper.  But use s&p very sparingly, as the flavors of the tomatoes will burst enough on their own.

Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside–this could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.

Either use them right away or let them cool, cover them with some extra olive oil and keep them in the fridge for the best summer condiment, ever. And for snacking.

One idea for using those ruby beauts:

fried egg with market greens and roasted tomatoes

(this is what I had for breakfast)

egg
handful of greens, such as arugula, spinach, or other variety of mixed greens
¼ cup slow-roasted tomatoes
scallion or onion, chopped
shaved parmesan or other cheese, such as goat or ricotta
olive oil
butter
s&p

Prepare the salad on a plate and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of coarse sea salt.  Fry up the egg in butter on med-high heat for a minute.  If you don’t like runny yolks, you can flip your egg over easy or over hard, or prepare a poached egg.  But when that runny yolk mingles with the greens… oh man.  Gently lay your friend egg on top of your bed of greens.  Chow down.