Slow-roasted tomatoes — who would've thunk?

Never in this hectic lifetime would we have thought to put canned tomatoes in the oven, cook them at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours and expect to get anything worthwhile out of the bargain. But that's why we like having friends like Jeff Strickland.

By day, Jeff is a computer analyst in Charlotte, N.C., but most evenings you'll find him experimenting in the kitchen. He raved so about Slow-Roasted Tomatoes that we couldn't resist giving them a try. In last week's column we served them with penne, but that's just the beginning.

"The nice thing about these tomatoes is that they're so versatile," Jeff said. "What you're after is the rich tomato flavor that's so essential to Italian cooking, but you're getting it out of a can. This is such a trick."

Here are more ideas (some are Jeff's and some are ours) for Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. (In this week's column, we've repeated the recipe for Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, which also includes defrosting and reheating instructions. Last week's recipe for Penne with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes is posted on our Web site at www.desperationdinners.com.)

• Stir together 1 cup tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and use as a dipping sauce for foccacia, breadsticks or other Italian-style breads.

• Sprinkle 1/2 cup of tomatoes over pizza or brushetta as a topping. (Or thin the roasted tomatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, stir in 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and use instead of pizza sauce.)

• Toss 1 cup of tomatoes with hot, drained pasta of choice, Parmesan cheese to taste and one or more of the following add-ins: 1 can (drained) sliced black olives; 1 cup leftover cooked chicken chunks or peeled cooked shrimp; 2 tablespoons pesto and shredded mozzarella cheese to taste; 1 can (drained) cannellini beans and 1/2 cup caramelized onions; 1 can (drained) chopped artichoke hearts.

• Use as an addition to Italian-style or vegetable soups to boost the flavor, as we have in our recipe today for Minestrone with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. (Add the tomatoes to taste, but we suggest 1 cup per 14-ounce can as a substitute.)

Menu suggestion: Minestrone with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Fresh Baby Spinach with Italian dressing

Italian breadsticks

---

MINESTRONE WITH SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES

Start to finish: 25 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil