If you like tomatoes as much as I do, then you will like today's recipe. We picked the last of our cherry tomatoes about a mont ago, and I wanted to preserve the sweet red taste of summer for longer. I've been wanting to make my own sun dried tomatoes for quite a while. Sadly, London weather can't be considered sun-dried tomatoes friendly. I could succesfully make rain soaked tomatoes. However, drying tomatoes in the oven is an easy alternative. I had already made one batch in the summer, but we ate them all in a few days. Just imagine fresh wholemeal bread with slices of cheddar topped with these red gems, or scrambled eggs, enriched with a few dried tomatoes. The combinations are endless.
Making oven dried cherry tomatoes is very easy and doesn't actually need a recipe. Because cherry tomatoes are really small, you don't even have to remove the seeds. Just cut them in half, place on a baking tray, pour over olive oil mixed with your favourite spices and herbs, and dry them in the oven until they reach the desired level of dryness. Let them cool down and enjoy!
In the meantime, before I let you dream about how delicious and sweet these oven dried tomatoes are, I have some news I'd like to share with you. I have finally finished my new photography portfolio website. It still needs some finishing touches, but it's up and running already. My huge thanks go to P. who not only built the website (designed by yours truly) but also spent a particularly long time to make sure the website works fast. I think he succeeded.
Oven dried cherry tomatoes
for one 40x30cm baking tray
50-60 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
enough olive oil to fill your jar
Preheat oven to 65°C.
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Place the tomatoes cut side up on a baking tray. Spoon the olive oil mixture over the tomatoes and bake for 4-5 hours, until they reach the desired level of dryness . Let them cool completely, then transfer to a clean jar. Fill the jar with olive oil, making sure the tomatoes are completely submerged.
Keep the jar refrigerated and the tomatoes will last for at least a month.
