I say tomato, You say Tomahto

(That's actually how it's now said in our house after a year in London.) But that's another story for another blog...
The food, the food, that's what we're all about here!


Over the past several weeks, I have been receiving lots of tomatoes with our organic food box. What to do, what to do? I've got it! Sun-dried tomatoes!
Oh, wait, this is London, in February. We get sun, just not vast quantities for days on end. How about using the sun in my oven? Now that's the ticket, oven dried tomatoes for pasta sauce, pizzas, salads, fish, the list goes on...


Oven "Sun" Dried Tomatoes


8 or more tomatoes, cut across. You can use any type that you like, or have too many of.


Olive oil for drizzling


3 to 5 garlic cloves still in the skin


sea salt


dried herbs - rosemary, thyme, basil - optional


sugar - optional if the tomatoes aren't sweet enough


Place the tomatoes cut side up on a tray. Drizzle with a bit of the olive oil. Sprinkle a little sea salt over each half, as well as the sugar if needed. Top with the herbs, if desired, I didn't use any here. Scatter the garlic cloves around the tray. 

Place in a 250 degree oven. Start checking the tomatoes at 2 hours. How they finish is a matter of personal taste and how your oven works. 

In my oven, 3.5 hours gives a chewy, still moist tomato, that is caramelized on the outside. 
To store, pack in a jar with olive oil, keeping in mind that the oil, must come all the way over the top.  Or pack into the freezer for a quick addition to soups, and sauces.


Personally, all mine will get roughly chopped and mixed with onions and ground turkey for a nice change to typical spaghetti with meat balls!