Oven-Roasted Tomato Paste or Puree

Never thought to post this as I don't think of it as a recipe, but it came up recently in Request a Recipe, so here is what I do for whomever wants to have a go...quantities are guess-timated as I just use as many tomatoes as I've got and never measured.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 10 mins
• Yields: 5 cups

Ingredients

• 4 -5  lbs  ripe tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 4 -5  garlic cloves, minced
•  salt and pepper
•  dried basil
•  dried oregano

Directions

1. Peel tomatoes. The easiest way to do this is to drop them into a container of boiling-hot water, leave for 1 minute, then drop them into a container of ice-water - the skin slips right off). Halve them and put into a baking pan large enough to hold them in one layer.
2. Dribble with olive oil (the amount is arbitrary - I imagine that's about what I use), sprinkle with minced garlic, generously season with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Give everything a stir to distribute.
3. Pop into 350F oven and roast for about 3 hours (this is approximate - it all depends on how thick you want your puree or paste).
4. When they're done, I like to mash the tomatoes into a paste because I like a more rustic texture. If you want smoother, use a processor.
5. I keep the puree/paste in a tupperware container, in the refrigerator, covered by a thin film of olive oil to prevent oxidization. I dig into it almost daily to provide a burst of flavour into many, many dishes like soups, stews, sauces, gravies, omelettes, etc.
6. This freezes well, too.