Sun / Oven Dried Tomatoes

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com

The one thing i love about the warm climate of the mediterranean region is it produces some wonderful fruit due to the abundance of sun. A pinnacle of which - the sun dried tomato is a staple of alot of meditteranean cuisine in a variety of dishes inclusive of tapas, antipasti etc.

In Britain alas we are not so fortunate. That said there's no means to say we cannot use conventional cooking methods to produce something similar that will satisfy your need for sun dried tomatoes. This simple recipe will produce some good results which you will enjoy time and time again.

These also make great gifts, when presented nicely, so can be made up n advance and passed on to loved ones at a later date.

You will need (makes roughly 36):


18 ripe plum tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes for even sweeter)
sea salt
6 cloves garlic sliced thinly
8 tbsp chopped oregano
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
4 rosemary sprigs
balsamic vinegar

The doing bit:

Preheat oven to 100C (or as low to it as you can get. Even lower than this is better but will take longer). Slice the tomatoes in half and scoop out most of the seeds. Place cavity side down on some kitchen paper for about half an hour.

Place the tomatoes cavity side up on a wire rack, on a roasting tray sprinkle with sea salt and add a slice of garlic to each tomato along with a liberal sprinkling of the oregano and a blade or two of rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil, and add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to each tomato half. Place in oven for about 3-4 hours, or leave out in the sun for several days if possible.

Storage: Place under olive oil in a sealed jar until use. Use in any recipe that requires them.

Turkey, Lemon & Herb Terrine

This is a rather simple recipe that can be produces really cheaply using turkey legs. Granted not everyone likes the dark meat, but this recipe might just convert you. Its very tasty :)

I made this to take to work as something a little bit different for mealtimes away from the usual fish and chicken approach. granted it took a little more time than i usually spend on my work meals but hey, i may as well be good to myself. Sneaking a slice earlier suggests im going to very much enjoy it. I may take along some of my fig balsam vinegar to dress it with.

You will need:

2 Turkey legs, cooked / slow roasted so the meat is tender.
juice of 2 lemons
1 star anise
12 leaves sage
2 handfuls spinach
salt and pepper

The doing bit.

Once the turkey legs are roasted keep back any juices and add to a pan along with the star anise, and lemon juice. Reduce gently by two thirds and set a side to cool slightly.

Take the meat from the bones and shred into small pieces. Add to a mixing bowl with the spinach and sage and season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

Add the meat to the terrine layering carefully. Press as firmly as possible, add the liquor from the pan and set in a refrigerator for 12 hours.

Serve.