Slow roasted tomatoes

I don't think this will come as a surprise. I'm a tomato junkie. You aren't surprised, right? I mean, I'm Italian, for crying out loud. While most people have blood running through their veins, I'm not ashamed to admit that my veins are filled with a curious mixture of tomato sauce, red wine and the occasional leaf of basil. I love tomatoes so much that if I had to pick one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would be great tomato sauce over bread. Crazy, right? But -I swear- there's no steak, no oyster, not even a truffle that can hold a candle to a perfect tomato. Or, at least, that's the way I feel.

So imagine my excitement when I spotted this recipe on the December 2009 issue of Cooking Light. Aromatic slow roasted tomatoes? It's just one of those things that I can't resist. And after trying the recipe, I can tell you one thing: they are delicious. And since they have to cook in the oven for about six hours, making them will warm up your kitchen nicely. What else do you want on a cold winter day? Cooking Light wants you to slow roast them for a whopping 7 1/2 hours, but I ran out of time at 6 and they were already perfect. So there, I just saved you a hour and a half.

AROMATIC SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES
(adapted from Cooking Light, December 2009)

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise (about 16 medium)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 200°.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Roast at 200° for about 6 hours.