Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Feta

With Summer right around the corner, there is the start of the abundance of farm fresh produce. I love this time of year, where you can peruse the growing selection of fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, grocery stores, neighborhood produce stands and more. Simple goodness. 

I was in the mood yesterday for something basic. I was perusing my Saveur, Food & Wine, and Bon Appetit monthly magazines for inspiration. Italian sounded good. And so did tomatoes and fresh herbs. So I came up with this. 

Dan's Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Feta

3 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup best quality olive oil

1/4 cup best quality balsamic vinegar

1 T honey 

4 cloves garlic, crushed 

Fresh herbs (any will do), about 1 loose cup total 

Fresh cracked pepper

Sea Salt

1/2 crumbled feta cheese 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large non metal baking dish, spread out whole tomatoes. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Pour over tomatoes. Sprinkle on half of the prepared herbs. Liberally season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. 

Bake for 2-3 hours. Depends on desired caramelization, and end texture. I ended up cooking mine for almost 3 hours. When tomatoes have shriveled and start to blister, remove from oven. Turn broiler on high. Sprinkle on crumbled feta and place under broiler for 5-6 minutes. Until cheese starts to melt and is browned, and skins on tomatoes continue to blister and turn dark. Remove from oven and sprinkle on remaining half of herbs. 

Serve hot or at room temperature. Simply smash together and use as a sauce on top of cooked pasta. Use as a bruschetta alternative. Or just eat by the spoonful for a healthy snack.