Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

For the tomatoes:

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/2-inch thick

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 c. basil leaves, torn into large pieces

1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil

salt (I like kosher salt for this)

For the breadcrumbs:

1 slice of hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. minced basil

1 t. minced parsley

Preparation

Prepare the tomatoes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees f. Add 2 T. oil to a 13 x 9-inch nonreactive baking pan (such as glass or ceramic). Sprinkle half the garlic and half the basil over the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes to the pan and season lightly with salt. Sprinkle with the remaining garlic and basil. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

For the breadcrumbs: While the tomatoes are baking, place the bread in a food processor and pulse to make breadcrumbs. Heat 1 T. olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and saute, stirring fairly constantly until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. When cool add Parmesan, basil and parsley. Serve the breadcrumbs sprinkled on the tomatoes.