roasted (local) tomatoes

I have a bit of an obsession with tomatoes. I eat upwards of two or three a day. To harness my tomato infatuation, I started thinking of ways to cook the little boogers, but still preserve the taste and freshness of local tomatoes (NOTE: Wal-Mart tomatoes and farmer's market tomatoes are not equal, but more on that later). This recipe is quick, easy, and makes a great summer-to-fall transition dish.

Ahhh!!! Look at that crispy layer of wonderful. So appetizing, yes?

You need:

-2 fresh tomatoes*

-olive oil (preferably cold-pressed)

-sea salt

-ground pepper

-basil (I used dried because I didn't have fresh, but if you have fresh, go for it)

-Italian seasoning

First, cut the tomatoes into slices about a half inch thick.

Beautiful. 

Next, lay pieces on a cooking sheet and brush with olive oil.

LIGHTLY sprinkle with salt (seriously, a tiny bit) and pepper.

Pile on some basil and finish with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. 

Broil at 500° for about 25 minutes. You'll want to bake them until the skin gets

wrinkly and the top gets crispy, like so:

These are great when eaten solo, but they would also be good paired with bread, pasta, or other roasted vegetables. They're super easy and cheap, and you probably have most of the ingredients already, so there's really no excuse.

*Wal-Mart and/or other grocery store tomatoes won't work. Don't even try. If it feels waxy, you're pretty much just eating a pesticide-filled Stepford tomato and should drop it immediately and go buy real tomatoes. 

Also, I picked out wedding flowers. 

Wildflowers in mason jars? Yes, please.