I’ll admit it first, before you read another word.

This is not a quick recipe, although it’s twice as easy {meaning it could almost be considered not even a recipe, it’s so simple}. And versatile.

Well, they are worth it, any way you frame it.

Sweet, slow roasted tomatoes.

Sun-dried tomatoes. Warm tomatoes.

It’s fitting, really. I don’t know about you, but tomatoes mean warmth to me- the warm summer sun on my face, my toes, my shoulders. Sitting on our sun porch in Rome, popping them into my mouth as I watched all the Italian ladies scowl in their head-to-toe black fashion, the hanging laundry fluttering in the wind and the peppered and fast Italian conversations of our neighbors next door floating about. Being small, eating tomato sandwiches on toast- always with a sprinkle of salt, Mom said {just like her mom taught her}, before our summer bike rides, picnics or beach days. And now, the smoky smell of heirlooms from the farmers market, waiting for their starring moment in my own summer gazpacho recipe.

Heavenly.

And yet, it’s March.

Can you blame me?

At least we can pretend in the meantime. It’s time to turn those poor-excuses-for-tomatoes in the grocery stores into something better, something warmer and sweeter-like summer itself. Just to pump us up, like a practice round. Just so we can be really ready when it comes {repeat in head, over and over}.

All you need are baby tomatoes, olive oil, sea salt and an low heated oven. And maybe a little lazy weekend day.

Ingredients:

Recipe adapted from My Father’s Daughter:

Baby grape or cherry tomatoes (I used 1 large carton, but wished I did 2-3)

Extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300. Wash tomatoes and pat dry. Add tomatoes to a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat each tomato with your hands. Sprinkle with sea salt.

3. Roast for 2-3 hrs. You can set the timer, run your errands, do whatever you need to do and come back to them later in the day without much work.

4. Add to a bowl and mash a bit with a fork for more of a sauce consistency, or keep whole.