• ripe roma tomatoes (or similar variety, firm with little juice)
• fine sea salt, freshly ground pepper
• chili pepper, ground or in flakes (optional)
• dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano… (optional)
• olive oil

Preheat your oven to 210°F.

Halve the tomatoes, and run your thumb in the cavities to remove the juice and seeds (save and filter the tomato water for drinking). Roma tomatoes have a very thin stem that you can leave in, but if the tomatoes you’re using have a tougher stem, carve it out.

Place the tomato halves, cut side up, on a well oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, ground chili pepper, and dried herbs if using. Drizzle with olive oil.

Put into the oven to bake, keeping an eye on them, for 2 to 3 hours depending on the variety and the desired consistency. Use warm or cold in pasta, salads, sandwiches, spreads, etc.

To freeze without clumping, arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a clean baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place the baking sheet in the freezer. After a couple of hours, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe container. (Save the parchment paper for another use.)