Oven-Dried Tomatoes (With or Without Oil)

There are several recipes here for oven-dried tomatoes, but this recipe is a little different so I thought I'd post it. This is a great way to use up a bumper crop of tomatoes. They give a great depth of flavor to sauces, salads, etc. and are much more economical than buying jarred dried tomatoes at the supermarket.

• Ready In: 4 hrs 10 mins
• Yields: 18 ounces

Ingredients

• 4  lbs  ripe plum tomatoes, each cut lengthwise in half
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
•  salt and pepper
• 4  sprigs fresh thyme, torn
• 5  garlic cloves, each cut in half

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two 15 1/2" by 10 1/2" jelly roll pans with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, combine tomatoes, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on prepared pans. Scatter garlic cloves and thyme pieces over tomatoes.
3. Bake 4 hours and 30 minutes or until tomatoes have collapsed and begun to brown, rotating pans between racks halfway through baking.
4. Cool tomatoes on parchment paper on wire rack. Transfer to seal-sealing Ziploc plastic bags and store in refrigerator up to one week. (For longer storage, transfer tomatoes to jar with tight-fitting lid. Pour in enough oil to cover by 1/4 inch. Cover and store in refrigerator up to 1 month.).