Feta and Slow-Roasted Tomato Salad with French Green Beans

12 cherry tomatoes

salt and black pepper to taste

¼ cup olive oil

1 bay leaf, crumbled

¼ cup pine nuts

⅔ pound thin green beans, trimmed

1 (5 ounce) package arugula leaves

6 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon honey

¼ cup olive oil

6 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Preheat an oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and arrange them, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and the bay leaf; drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil.

Bake the tomatoes until they are shriveled and dry on the outside, but a little moist inside, about 2 hours.

Toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium-low heat, gently shaking the pan as they toast, until beginning brown and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil; cook the green beans in the boiling water until bright green but still crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water.

Combine the roasted tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, green beans, arugula, and basil in a salad bowl. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, and 1/4 cup olive oil in a bowl, and pour the dressing over the salad. Stir in the crumbled feta cheese just before serving.