Slow Roasted Tomatoes (Preserving Summer Bounty)

Buffet on Table: Bloggers Choice Day 26: Preserving Summer Bounty - Slow Roasted Tomatoes It has been a great month of non stop blogging with our mega marathon, Buffet on Table. All good things have to come to end and today is the last day for the marathon :-(  Today I have slow roasted potatoes recipe to preserve your summer tomato bounty. I only 3 tomato plants (cherry, roma and regular), but I've been getting quite a lot of tomatoes that needed to used up.  Now I can imagine how much this bounty would be for people with lot of tomato plants -- they must be bombarded with tons of tomatoes. If you are one of them, then please share how you preserve your tomatoes in the comments below. Thank you.

I first saw the recipe for slow roasting tomatoes on Nupur's blog few years back, but never got around to making it. Her recipe involves roasting tomatoes in a warm (200°F) oven for about 12 hours. This recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine uses a hotter oven (300°F) and tomatoes are roasted for a little over 2 hours total.
After roasting tomatoes, tomatoes become super sweet, slightly smoky and very delicious. With just a few minutes of hands-on time, you will have tomatoes to be used in different dishes. I've included some ideas at the end of the recipe.
Recipe from Vegetarian Times magazine:
Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 4lbs medium, halved (about 10 tomatoes)
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely minced
Dried Basil - ½tsp (can also use dried oregano or other dried herbs)
Sugar - ½tsp (optional)
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Method:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Brush a large baking sheet with 1tsp olive oil. 
• Place the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet and drizzle with 2tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 1 hour or until the tomatoes turn juicy and start to shrivel.
• Sprinkle with garlic, basil (or other dried herbs) and sugar (if using) and roast for another 1~1½hours more, or until tomatoes are caramelized and browned around the edges. 
• Remove from the oven and cool completely.

How to Freeze: Once completely cooled, spoon the mixture into resealable freezer bags or freezer jars. Make sure to leave room for expansion. Remove the excess air from the freezer bags, if using, by laying them flat and squeezing out. Label bags or jars. Stack the bags flat for an efficient storage.
Thaw and Use: Defrost the food in the bags or jars before using.
Ideas for using these roasted tomatoes:

• Blend tomatoes and use in soups or in tomato sauce for pasta.
• Chop and stir into omelets and fritattas.
• Add to casseroles and gratins for extra flavor.
• Nupur's recipe -- Use in pasta salad with pesto and other roasted veggies.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56.

An InLinkz Link-up