Since I cannot seem to resist buying tomatoes I don’t need I have to find things to do with them. One thing is to oven dry them. Do this while they are still lush and fresh. You can use them later. It can’t be like months from now but say, next week.
Turn the oven on to 250 or 300. 200 will work too, if you’re going to be gone for the whole day. Slice the tomatoes (I used romas, but nearly any kind will do) in half or, in this case quarters, you just want to have them in small enough pieces so the moisture can evaporate. I toss them in olive oil, a small amount of balsamic vinegar which will help caramelization and salt and pepper and then lay them out on a sheet cut side up. I only roasted these to a meaty not quite browned consistency. Although they aren’t dramatically brown, they have shrunk up pretty much and the juices are trapped inside. They can get to be very browned and chewy. The flavor is more intense that way, but I don’t like to have to fight with my tomatoes while I’m eating them.
As it turned out, I didn’t save them. I had them in pasta salad later that day.
