Bruschetta with Goat Cheese and Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

How to prepare bruschetta with goat cheese and slow-roasted cherry tomatoes

1. You can prepare any amount of tomatoes you want, but since it's a long process taking several hours, it's more practical to prepare a larger quantity, as many as will fit in your oven tray.
   Cut the tomatoes in half, or if they're very small, leave them whole. Sprinkle with coarse salt and drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat them all (for tomatoes filling an oven tray, 3-4 tablespoons are enough). Mix well. Arrange the tomatoes in the tray, cut side up if applicable. The tomatoes should fit in a single layer and not be too crowded or overlapping.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F) and bake the tomatoes for 2 hours. Then reduce the temperature to 100°C (210°F) and leave for another hour. The tomatoes will be roasted but still slightly juicy with a very concentrated flavor.
3. Let the tomatoes cool in the tray, then drizzle them again with olive oil, this time be more generous so you can see the oil pooling in the tray (another 4-5 tablespoons will surely be needed).
   
4. Carefully transfer the tomatoes, so as not to crush them, into the container where you want to store them, along with all the oil from the tray. When you transfer them, the tomatoes will release some juice that will mix with the oil, creating a delicious sauce. If you like, you can now add some finely chopped basil leaves. Store in the refrigerator, but bring back to room temperature before using.
6. For the bruschetta: cut slices of rustic bread, drizzle with oil and toast them on a grill, in a toaster, or in the oven. They should become slightly crispy and nicely golden. Let them cool before assembling the bruschetta.
   
7. Rub the toasted bread with a clove of garlic. Sprinkle with crumbled fresh goat cheese. Be generous with the cheese. There's no rule, but as a guide, I used 50g of cheese for 2 medium slices of bread...
8. Place a small mound of roasted tomatoes over the cheese and drizzle with the sauce from the tomatoes. If you didn't add basil to the tomato container, you can sprinkle chopped basil now.
   

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