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Sun-dried tomato recipe
From Cookipedia
Sun-dried tomatoes, without the sun
Sun-dried tomatoes are a great item to have in the refrigerator as they have a long shelf-life and a small amount can lift almost any dish.
Here in the UK we seem to get very little sun so we have to resort to other methods.
Making Sun-dried tomatoes without the sun is an ideal task for a slow Aga.
Ingredients
- 16 large, good flavoured tomatoes or 32 cherry tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons of caster sugar
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 500ml of extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper
Mise en place
- Pre-heat the oven to it's lowest setting. About 100° C (225° F - gas ¼), Aga: 'simmering oven'
Method
- With a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes in half.
- Lay them out on baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle them with a little olive oil.
- Pick the thyme leaves off and sprinkle over the tomatoes, if you have lots of thyme you can lay the sprigs amongst the tomatoes for extra flavour.
- Place them in the oven for about 7 hours, or until most of the moisture has been removed - check them every hour or so as you don't want them to be crispy!
- Remove them and leave them to cool
- Sprinkle a sterilised jar with salt and pepper and add the sprigs of thyme.
- Add the tomatoes and cover with olive oil.
- They should keep for 6 months if refrigerated and always covered with oil.
Variations
Add a tablespoon of chili flakes if you like them spicy.
See also
FOOD POISONING
Don't add garlic as some recipes suggest because there is a very real danger of botulism as it is an anaerobic toxin (one that develops in an air-free environment - read: Talk:Garlic olive oil.
If you want to be really scared, read what Wikipedia has to say on botulism and a Canadian government article of botulism and preserving.
