Stay at Home & Make Oven Dried Tomatoes!
Stop, don’t go away from this page, if you do, you’ll definitely regret not reading the rest and finding out how to make these little jewels.
This is a no measure recipe, so it’s all about personal taste.
By that I mean, give it a go.
A couple of things to think about when you make these tomatoes.
Use the dried herb flavours that you like, and don’t over salt.
Let’s talk about the salt first. If you’re unsure about this bit, leave out the salt all together, I promise you won’t miss it. The flavour will be out of this world anyway.
Little pops of fabulousness.
If you do want to salt the tomatoes before cooking, don’t use table salt.
Hopefully by now you’ve taken my advice and paid a little extra for some Maldon sea salt.
If not, then leave the salt out of this recipe all together.
Table salt is way too bitter for this and the fantastic intensity of the dried tomatoes will get lost in the bitter flavour of the table salt.
As the tomatoes dry and cook in the oven, the intensity of flavours will increase and that means the salt element too.
The second thing to think about, the herbs.
We all love the flavour of fresh herbs in a dish, but with this recipe dried is the way to go.
No matter which dried herbs are in your cupboard, if that’s the one that makes you smile, that’s the one to use first time you make these. After you realise how easy these are to make, and how much you will use them, in salads, sandwiches, Bolognese sauce on top of jacket potatoes, you can adjust the flavour profile.
Just keep to the dried herbs and spices.
I do like to add a few chilli flakes to whatever I sprinkle on the top. I’ve used dried oregano, marjoram, basil, chilli flakes, cayenne, garlic granules, pretty much anything I have in the cupboard.
The one thing that I always sprinkle over is fresh ground black pepper. For me, fresh black pepper is on everything and is my go-to seasoning.
Well, that and cayenne pepper. Have you ever tried cayenne chicken?
I’ve just had to invest in an electric grinder to give me a bit of a helping hand in the kitchen. It seems that all those years of rolling out fondant icing has played havoc on the joints in my hands, so gripping is now not much fun.
I must say, right now, an electric grinder is a fun gadget to have. Ill probably be bored with it in a few weeks. Say la vie.
The next thing to keep in mind is the oil.
It’s very easy to get carried away with the sprinkling of the oil.
Don’t overdo it. It will be really tempting to soak the tomatoes on the tray with it, but trust me, if you do, the finished tomatoes will just be way too oily.
If you want more oil, you can always add a couple of tablespoons of very good olive oil to the jar when you pack them into the sterile jars and store them in the fridge.
So, just use the best oil that you have. If it’s a flavoured oil, chilli or basil etc, use that.
If it’s extra virgin olive oil, then use that.
Whichever you use, just very lightly sprinkle it over the tomatoes.
Once the tomatoes are cooked, leave them to cool completely and them package them into sterile jars. Make sure you scrape all the bits and juices from the tray and add them to the jars. Never waste any flavour.
The packaged tomatoes will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge, if they aren’t eaten before then.
Mr G takes some to work on his food, no matter what he’s taking, everyday packaged in his lunch box, and I have mine for my brunch, (because I don’t like to eat too early in the morning), which means that they don’t last too long. One new batch a week is usually the way to go.
Once you’ve realised that these are your new addiction, try the same method with peppers and onions. You won’t regret it
Give it a go and let me know which flavours you put on your first batch.
Enjoy Your Sweet Life
Look at those pops of tomatoey goodness
What You Need
Baby tomatoes, as many as you want to make – I usually use about five or six boxes at a time.
Oil – of your choice – the amount will depend on how many tomatoes you use. – Remember, you only need to sprinkle over the tomatoes very lightly.
Dried Herbs – of your choice – the amount depending on how many tomatoes you us
Pepper -Fresh ground – optional
Maldon Sea Salt – Optional
Liberal sprinkling of herbs , ready to go in the oven
How It’s Done
Heat the oven to 200c
Cut all the tomatoes in half and lay them onto oven trays cut side up – See Tip Box
Sprinkle the tomatoes with the oil, herbs and any other seasoning your using. – See Tip Box
Reduce the oven temperature to 120c
Place the trays of prepared tomatoes into the hot oven and cook for 1 hour, turning the trays half way through.
Cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let them cool completely
Once cooled, store them in sterile jars for up to a week
Cooked and cooling, Looking juicy and ready for the sterile jars.
Tip Box
Cut tomatoes – When you lay the tomatoes onto the oven trays, make sure they are all single file and not overlapping as much as you can.
Oil & Herbs – Go lightly with the oil but a little heavier with the dried herbs
Yes Please
