Sun-dried tomato recipe

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Oven-dried cherry tomatoes - done

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.

Servings

Makes one jar of Sun-dried tomatoes

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

1. With a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes in half.
2. Lay them out on baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle them with a little olive oil.
3. 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.
4. 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!
5. Remove them and leave them to cool
6. Sprinkle a sterilised jar with salt and pepper and add the sprigs of thyme.
7. Add the tomatoes and cover with olive oil.
8. 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

• Oven-dried tomatoes

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.