Hello again. I hope you have had a good few days since my last post. After lousy weather here in the UK in August, September started with a mini heatwave. The high temperatures have come to an end now but the extra heat and sunshine certainly helped ripen off the fruit and vegetables. It’s been a bumper year for tomatoes, and I’ve been exploring new ways to serve and preserve them.

My recipe this week is a very simple one. It’s an easy and energy-efficient way to cook small tomatoes. All you need is a slow-cooker and an amount of small tomatoes to fit neatly in a single layer over the base of the cooking dish. You can adapt the quantities you cook to fit the size of your cooker.

I have kept the flavours simple, using fresh herbs from the garden, some garlic and a few coriander seeds. Add chilli for some heat, or experiment with your favourite spices. The confit can be served on its own as a sauce for pasta or blitzed and used as a base sauce for other dishes. If you want to keep it for a few days, place in a sealed container, covering the tomatoes with extra oil as necessary, and store it in the fridge. For longer storage, it freezes fine.

This really is a great way to enjoy the flavour of freshly picked sweet baby tomatoes with the minimum of effort. I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 650g whole, same size, small or cherry tomatoes – or a weight that fits neatly in a single layer inside the base of your slow-cooker dish
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1tsp sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2tsp caster sugar (optional)
• 100ml good quality olive oil + extra for storing

1. Remove the stalks from the tomatoes and wash well. Pat dry using kitchen paper and place in a single layer in the slow-cooker dish.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, cover with the lid and set the cooker to Low. Cook for 4hrs or until the tomatoes are soft but still holding shape. Leave to cool completely.

3. For storing, discard the herbs and ladle into a clean, sealable storage container – I used a 750ml Kilner jar. Add more oil as necessary to cover the tomatoes, then seal and store for up to 10 days in the fridge. Alternatively, portion into containers and freeze. The oil can be drained off before serving and re-used to cook with or flavour salad dressings.

That’s me for another week. I have just picked another haul of tomatoes after coming back home after a few days away. I’ll have to get creating again. Until next time, thanks for stopping by 🙂