Roasted tomatoes

Some cooks really like those sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, but honestly we think they're overrated. They're usually leathery/chewy and floating in old oil, not to mention expensive. I learned from a magazine not long ago how easy it is to make fresh oven-dried tomatoes at home. With hardly any work, you end up with a luscious, versatile product. Roma tomatoes are the best for drying, but I've also had good luck with the little Campari tomatoes when they are very ripe.

Just cut them in half and lay cut-side down on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or heavy duty foil. Be sure to line the pan, or else they will stick like glue. Put them in a low (200-250 degree) oven and be patient, because it takes at least 2 hours for most of the moisture to bake out. The sweet flavor condenses as they slowly shrink down, and you eventually wind up with something that looks and tastes like tomato taffy:

I try to make dinner without meat twice a week or so, and roasted tomatoes are perfect for a light but rich tasting pasta dish. I browned garlic in olive oil, added a pile of chopped roasted tomatoes and some dried Greek olives left over from last summer's Olive Pit spending spree. A pinch of Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
Then I tossed in cooked penne pasta and Parmesan cheese. The tomatoes were gooey and intensely flavored, so it made a really satisfying dish (even without Isernio sausage!)
Oven-dried tomatoes would also be delicious on pizza or sandwiches. Imagine a grilled BLT with roasted tomatoes instead of fresh? I had one at a restaurant once. But if you love tomatoes, it's hard not gobble them down like warm candy, right out of the oven.