Vine-Ripened Cherry Tomatoes: Oven-Dried with Olive Oil & Herbs

I picked up a wonderful stash of vine ripened tomatoes from my latest run to our local 'Pick-Ur-Own' at canning prices. There were red tomatoes, Roma, cherry tomatoes, and my favourite the pick tomatoes with their flavoursome tanginess. Leaving the cherry and pick tomatoes aside, I pickled all the red and Roma tomatoes using two of my well-tested recipes.

The pink ones we ate in salads and the cherry, well apart from snacking on them, I decided to preserve them in olive oil and herbs!! A bit like having sun-dried tomatoes, only I get to do these in the oven, as the approaching autumn sun is not quite as warm.

Ingredients:
2 cups cherry tomatoes
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp rosemary, dried
1/4 tsp tarragon, dried
1/4 cup olive oil

Method:

1. Line a baking sheet with foil, and cover with parchment paper.
2. Wash the tomatoes, drain and dry them completely. 
3. Halve them and place on the parchment paper.
4. Pour the olive oil over the tomatoes. 
5. Sprinkle with the herbs, salt, and black pepper.
6. Place the tray in an oven preheated to 300F.
7. Allow to bake until they dry and shrink to half their size.
8. Turn off the heat, and let the tray sit in the oven and cool there overnight.
9. Remove into a clean, sterilized jar and store in the refrigerator.

These oven grilled tomatoes are wonderfully succulent and full of the wonderful flavours of the olive oil, pepper, and herbs. They are a great substitute in any recipe that calls for sun-dried tomatoes, I used them in sandwiches, pizza toppings, and in salads. They can be eaten immediately, saved for up to a week in the refrigerator. But if you intend to preserve them any longer, place them a glass jar. Top completely with good quality olive oil and a little extra salt, and refrigerate after a day.

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