For these beautiful, sweet tomatoes on the vine, we start with Sunsweet tomatoes, which you can find sold in plastic boxes in grocery stores. I love the delicate, organic look of the small tomatoes dangling from the long stems. This recipe makes more than you will need for four servings of the Mozza Caprese. We did this to tailor the recipe to the size of the boxes the tomatoes are sold in and because you are sure to lose some tomatoes to anyone who walks by after they are out of the oven. If you can find tomatoes on the vine at your local famers’ market, even better.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 pound, or about 36 tomatoes

　　2 9-ounce packages Sunsweet tomatoes on stems, or 1 pound sweet small tomatoes

　　1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 300°F.

　　

Step 2

Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Gently lift the tomatoes out of the boxes, taking care to keep the tomatoes attached to the stems as much as possible. Brush the tomatoes with the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes in the oven to roast until their skins are shriveled but the tomatoes are still plump, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature. Use the tomatoes, or cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to one day or refrigerate for up to three days. Bring the tomatoes to room temperature before serving.

　　The Mozza Cookbook