Sundried Tomatoes – without the sun!

We love sun-dried tomatoes. They taste great in a variety of dishes, from anti-pasti to salads and sandwiches, even as an addition to simple spaghetti al’olio.

Sun drying tomatoes is usually a very easy affair. All you need are tomatoes and plenty of strong sunshine. Alas, the UK weather is so fickle that we cannot be guaranteed of continuous sunshine for any length of time. But I had a huge box of cherry tomatoes that were just begging to be used.

So here is my version; simple oven-dried cherry tomatoes with garlic and sea salt. The concentration of flavours into these tiny slivers of rich tomatoey goodness is amazing – truly sunshine in every bite, even on a gloomy and rainy day. Thanks for the inspiration, Rhea.

Spicy tomato chutney (thokku style)

This is a spicy tomato chutney, inspired by the enormous varieties of south indian thokku that we love. It is a slightly longish process, requiring a fair amount of patience. But the end result of a thick deep red paste, oozing tomatoey goodness is definitely worth it.

This chutney goes very well with some plain steamed rice, or even with dosas, idlis and the like. For a slighlty non-conventional twist, try it smeared on some toasted brushcetta with a slice of avocado or a chunk of fresh mozarella.

This recipe will produce a fair amount, it should fill around 8 – 10 medium (8oz) jam jars. You can scale down as needed. But we usually end up using a lot, and giving to friends and family alike.