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1
Preheat oven to 225.
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2
Line a 12x18 jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, set aside.
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3
Wash and trim tomatoes. Cut them in half lengthwise and place in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and toss them with your hands. Be gentle - you don't want to crush the tomatoes! Then, place them skin side down on the prepared pan.
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4
Put the salt in a ramekin and sprinkle the salt, pinch by pinch, over the tomatoes. Make sure each tomato has a little bit of salt on it.
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5
Bake tomatoes for about 3-3 1/2 hours, or until the tomatoes shrivel and brown around the edges, and have shrunk from their original size. Make sure they are still juicy in the middle - you don't want to dry them out completely. Allow to cool to room temperature.
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6
Combine basil, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend into a fine paste.
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7
Add pine nuts and process until smooth. (Be sure to scrape down the sides to make sure everything gets combined completely.)
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8
Add cheese and pulse until combined. (Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed!)
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9
Add tomatoes and process until completely combined.
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10
Finally, with the food processor running, pour olive oil into the pesto and process until mixture is smooth and creamy. If pesto seems too thick you can loosen it up with 1/4 cup more good olive oil.
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11
Pesto can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen in an airtight container, or an ice-cube tray (for individual portions).
