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1
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and pour about 2 tablespoons olive oil evenly over the pan.
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2
Sprinkle the oil with salt and pepper.
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3
Strew a little of the garlic, basil, thyme, and bay leaves over the oil.
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4
Cut each tomato lengthwise in half and carefully, with your fingers or a tiny spoon, remove the seeds.
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5
Lay the tomato halves cut side down in the pan, wiggling the tomatoes around if necessary so that each tomato has a floss of oil on its cut side.
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6
Using a pastry brush, give the tops of the tomatoes a light coat of olive oil.
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7
Season the tops of the tomatoes with salt and pepper and a little sugar, and scatter over the rest of the garlic, basil, thyme, and bay leaves.
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8
Slide the pan into the oven and bake the tomatoes for 2 1/2 hours, or until they are very tender but still able to hold their shape; turn the tomatoes over at half-time and open the oven for just a second every 30 minutes or so to get rid of the moisture that will build up in the oven.
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9
Cool the tomatoes to room temperature on their pan.
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10
When the tomatoes are cool, transfer them to a jar, stacking them neatly.
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11
Pour whatever oil remains in the pan over the tomatoes and then, if you plan to keep the tomatoes longer than 1 or 2 days, pour in enough olive oil to cover and refrigerate.
