Sunshine ruby reds
These sun (oven) dried tomatoes are a perfect side or use them with cold pasta to make a great salad, pop them on pizzas, cheese on toast, in sarnies, as a topping for a soup. It’s a really easy way to use left over tomatoes, plus they are freezable meaning you can make a big batch of them and use them as quick and easy side any night of the week. Sun dried tomatoes are soooo expensive, this a great money saving recipe that gives you the decadence at a fraction of the cost – mum win! Also, unfortunately the real sun dried tomatoes are pretty high in salt – to preserve them – this recipe doesn’t use much salt, so little ones can eat them at their leisure, but that’s why to conserve them for any length of time they need to be frozen. You might think of Italy when you think of this side but in actual fact the Aztecs in Mexico began salting and sun-drying their tomatoes in order to preserve their freshness around the year 700 AD!
Makes plenty for 2 grown-ups and a little one as a side for a main meal
500g tomatoes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil i.e. The good stuff!
1 tbsp oregano
A very small pinch of salt
Method
1. Cut each tomato in half and then each half into 3 wedges. Mix the tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and oregano.
2. Place the tomatoes in a single layer skin side down on a baking sheet and cook in a 100C fan oven for 2 ½ hours.
3. To long term store in freezer, there are two options. If you are using the tomatoes as a side or in a salad then freeze them on a baking paper sheet in a single layer, once frozen pop them off into a container – this way they will hold their shape/form better. If you using it on pizzas, in pasta etc then just freeze them all together in a container.
Tips
Sun dried tomatoes are soooo expensive, this a great money saving recipe that gives you the decadence at a fraction of the cost – mum win! Also, unfortunately the real sun dried tomatoes are pretty high in salt – to preserve them – this recipe doesn’t use much salt, so little ones can eat them at their leisure, but that’s why to conserve them for any length of time they need to be frozen.
Facts
You might think of Italy when you think of this side but in actual fact the Aztecs in Mexico began salting and sun-drying their tomatoes in order to preserve their freshness around the year 700 AD!