Cooking Tips: Oven-dried Tomatoes

Make your own oven-dried tomatoes. Smaller varieties like cherry, pear, and plum tomatoes work best; just make sure you use tomatoes of a similar size. Preheat the oven to 250'F and put a rack on a baking sheet. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and lay on the rack, skin side down. Generously sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and strew some fresh herb sprigs, like thyme or rosemary, over the top. Roast until the tomatoes are barely moist and shriveled, anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, depending on their size. Pack oven-dried tomatoes tightly in a sealed jar drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and keep in the fridge.--FN Calendar