Slow Roasted Tomatoes Pizza Topping

Ingredients

• 2 to 2.5 pounds ripe cherry tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes (use whatever variety you have a lot of)
• 1 head garlic, cloves removed, still in their peels
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 275℉ with a rack in the middle position. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
• Cut the cherry tomatoes in half; core and chop larger tomatoes into 1- to 1½-inch cubes.
• Dump the chopped tomatoes onto the baking sheet, along with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat everything, season with 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and toss with two spatulas or your hands until all the pieces are shiny with oil.
• Spread the tomatoes in an even layer and roast for 2 to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally, until they are wrinkly and jammy in texture but not totally dried out. At this point, you should see some caramelization around the edges, and the chopped larger tomatoes will look like chunky sauce.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven, cover with foil (so you don’t lose moisture), and let the tomatoes cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Take off the foil, peel the roasted garlic cloves, mash them in a small bowl, and stir them into the roasted tomatoes before using or storing.
• To store the slow-roasted tomatoes for later, scrape them into an airtight container, drizzle a little olive oil over top, seal, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively, scoop them into muffin cups, freeze for 2 to 3 hours, until solid, then pop them into a zip-top bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Notes

• If you’re using this instead of sauce, you’ll need ⅔ to 1 cup slow-roasted tomatoes for one (12- to 14-inch) pizza.
• Stir leftover slow-roasted tomatoes into pasta, spread them on toast, or scoop them up with crackers or pita chips.