Oven Roasted Plum Tomato Sauce

Slowly oven-roasing plum tomatoes to partially dry
them and remove some. but not all of the water content,
results in sweet, intensely flavored tomatoes, which, in
turn, make a tomato sauce ideal for tossing with fedelini,
linguine, spaghetti, and other long pastas. Top with
plenty of grated Pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Make plenty of this one at the peak of the season and
you'll not he sorry a couple of months later to find it 
in the freezer.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups

5 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cored and halved
2 tablespoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Place the tomatoes, cut side up and close together,
on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt and let sit
for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Place the tomatoes in the oven and cook until they
are partially dried but still moist, about 3 hours.
Remove the tomatoes from the oven. (These can be
baked 3 to 4 days ahead of time and refrigerated
until ready to proceed.)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, un-
til soft, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme,
rosemary, oregano, and 1 cup water. Cook, stir-
ring occasionally, until the tomatoes have fallen
apart and the water has evaporated, about 30 min-
utes. Pass the sauce through a food mill. The sauce
can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.