Tomatoes can be bright, rich, sweet, sharp, smoky or jammy. The method decides what you get.
Simple methods that work whether you are cooking for two people or twenty.
Use good tomatoes with salt, oil and herbs. Do less when the tomato is already doing enough.
Use heat to concentrate ripe tomatoes into something sweeter, deeper and more useful.
Cook tomatoes down with patience until water becomes body and sharpness becomes depth.
Fresh tomatoes need restraint. Cooked tomatoes need patience. If you want a bright salad, do less. If you want a deep sauce, give the tomatoes time, salt, heat and a little fat.