Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• dried herbs (optional)
• olive oil for storing (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Rinse the tomatoes and pat dry. Slice lengthwise and place on the cookie sheets, seed side up.
3. Pat the tomatoes with a paper towel to absorb some of the juice. Sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Bake at 225 degrees until dried and the tomatoes turn a deeper shade of yellow/orange/red – usually about 4-5 hours.
5. Check the tomatoes regularly after the 3 hour point. They will look wrinkled & dried, and have a rich color. Some of them may dry faster than others, so you can remove those so they don’t get burnt. Once they are all dried, dark red, and wrinkled, remove the pan from the oven.
6. Let cool completely. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, or in a glass jar with some olive oil, about 3-4 tablespoons. They can be stored safely for about a month in the refrigerator. Makes about 1 cup of dried tomatoes.

Tips:

• Check the tomatoes regularly after they have been baking for 3 hours. Depending on how thick they are, some may be done before others. Feel free to remove any that are done before the baking time is completed.
• The amount of time needed to dry the tomatoes depends on the water content of the tomatoes.
• When ready to use, you can soak tomatoes in water to rehydrate. Be sure to drain before adding them to salads, omelettes, frittatas.
• Alternately, you can soak in olive oil, garlic and herbs. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
• Store in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator or freezer. If you store them in olive oil, they should be consumed within two weeks.