Oven-Roasted Tomatoes with Toasted Pine Nuts

from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert, p. 85

serves 6

Ingredients:

• 6 medium red-ripe tomatoes
• coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp turbinado or other raw sugar
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp rose water
• 2 Tbsp pine nts or sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions:

1. Cut each tomato horizontally in half and squeeze gently to extract the seeds.  Lighlty sal the tomatoes, turn them upside down on paper towels, and let drain for 30 minutes.
2. Gently squeeze the tomatoes again to rid them of any excess moisture.  Arrange cut sie up in a single layer in a ightly oiled roud shallow 10 inch baking dish.  Mix 1 tsp salt with the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle a pinch over each tomato half.  Drizzle with the olive oil.
3. Place the tomatoes in the oven and set the temperature to 250 degrees F.  Bake for 3 hours.
4. Raise the oven temperature to 400 F and continue baking for 30 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let the tomaotes finish baking the the receding heat, about 30 minute; they will be wrinkled and slightly charred.
5. REmove the roasted tomatoes from the oven, splash with rose water, and scatter the toasted nuts on top.  Let cool to room temp. before serving.