SLOW BRAISED TOMATOES

Slow Braised Tomatoes image

Provided by Food Network

Yield Makes 4 to 5 cups

Number Of Ingredients 8

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus approximately 1/2 cup for roasting
1 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 garlic cloves, smashed
24 ripe plum tomatoes or 48 ripe cherry tomatoes
18 basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Steps:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the basil leaves and red pepper flakes, and stir well.
If using plum tomatoes, cut them lengthwise in half. Toss the tomatoes with the sugar and salt.
Place the tomatoes cut side down in a roasting pan that will hold them in a single layer. (If you don't have a pan large enough, use an additional roasting pan and more olive oil.) Spoon the onion mixture over the potatoes. Add enough olive oil to come halfway up the tomatoes, about 1/2 cup.
Roast until the tomatoes are tender and falling apart, about 3 hours (about 1 hour for cherry tomatoes). Stir once, gently, during the roasting. Let cool; then refrigerate, covered, in their oil.