These oven dried tomatoes are a fail proof way for preserving a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes, stored in olive oil they are a great addition of intense tomato flavour to pasta, roasted veg, with eggs for breakfast, an appetizer or an amazing gift.
To make them all the more flavoursome make sure to dry them cut side up as the tomato juice collects and concentrates instead of dropping out.
By storing them in oil not only will it preserve their shelf life but also leave you with a tomato infused oil to be use after, so don’t throw it away! Drizzled over ricotta on toast with some capers for example.
To make at home, wash the tomatoes and pat dry. Slice in half length ways and remove as much of the seeds as you can with a spoon. Season with salt and lay cut side up on a cooling rack or a tray with grease proof paper, making sure they’re not touching. Put in the oven at 100 degrees for 3-4 hours until they are shriveled. Cool the tomatoes to room temperature. Transfer them to a jar and cover with olive oil. You can store in the fridge for 1-2 months.
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Tomato leaf Pesto
A twist on the classic pesto recipe. The addition of the tomato leaves will add a new freshness to any pasta dish.
Ingredients:
1 handful of small tomato leaves
15ml red wine vinegar
200ml olive oil
1 small garlic clove
15g pumpkin seed
Salt
Simply blend all ingredients together!
This dressing adds an amazing fresh tomato flavour to your salads. You could mix with tuna, anchovies, olives, soft boiled eggs, gem lettuce, spring onion and chives for a Nicoise style salad.
Ingredients:
salt
black pepper
90ml of extra virgin olive oil
40g of cherry tomatoes
30ml of balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove
Here's how:
Crush the cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves with a pestle and mortar, then add the oil and balsamic vinegar slowly, using the pestle and mortar to mix and emulsify. Season with salt and pepper.
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One of our favourite things about growing tomatoes is the smell on a warm day. That earthy smell comes from the leaves and, contrary to popular belief, they are edible. In the field kitchen we serve them in multiple ways; the small tender leaves are tossed through salads, blended into a pesto or dried and added to soups or stocks. When we are ‘side shooting’ the plant to encourage growth, we will boil those in water to make tomato stocks so that nothing is wasted.
This recipe is a great way to add a real tomato hit into your pasta dish before adding any tomatoes, it gives it an amazing colour and flavour.
To make at home, you will need:
400g flour
3 large eggs
60g tomato leaves
A simple way to serve tomato leaf pasta is to toss the cooked pasta in garlic butter with fresh lemon juice, parsley & chopped tomatoes. We can’t wait to see all of your pasta creations!
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This tomato stock is a great fridge essential. Makes a great base for a ragu, bolognaise or ribolita or for a minestrone soup. It’s a veg stock cube with so much more flavour!
1 ltr water
1 handful tomato leaves and stalks
1 clove garlic
½ small onion
½ carrot
Salt
Boil all ingredients together and strain through a sieve.
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If you've found yourself with a a glut of green or just ripened tomatoes that haven’t managed to achieve peak flavour before the sunshine disappears, then here is a perfect recipe.
By fermenting these hard green balls of apology, you create an ingredient that you can use to add a sharp and sour note to salads and plates of roasted veg. Their flavour and texture is much like a dill pickle.
To make these at home, quarter your tomatoes and place in a sterilised jar. Add some spices; we use whole garlic cloves, dried dill heads and peppercorns and then cover with a 2% brine and leave in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. You’ll need to make sure your tomatoes are fully submerged under the brine. A clean, non-porous stone works well. Your pickles should be ready to eat in 7 days. Leave for longer to allow their flavour develop. Best eaten within 6 months. ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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