A couple of weeks ago we were given tomatoes from two of our friends who grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Tomatoes straight from the vine smell and taste so good, so for a Winter treat I thought that I would preserve some. It’s quick, easy, so if you have your own grown or get tomatoes from a farmers market buy 2kg and try it out. The taste is fabulous and a lot better than tinned tomatoes.
Preserved Tomatoes
Makes 6 Jars.
Time : 45 minutes, plus sterilising and cooling.
You will need:- 6 clean glass jars with lids and about 2kg of ripe tomatoes. Plus a little drizzle of olive oil.
1. Wash the tomatoes, then remove the stalks. Depending on the size of the jars, either halve or quarter the tomatoes.
2. Then start to fill the jars, (Not necessary but to add a different flavour, in some jars I intermittently added a leaf of fresh basil in others I used slices of fresh chilli). Press the tomatoes down with the back of a wooden spoon between layers so that they are tightly packed.
3. With the jars full and packed tightly with no air gaps seal them by adding a drizzle of olive oil on top. Then fit the lid to each jar tightly.
4. Submerge each jar in a large pan of gently boiling water. Then boil for about thirty minutes. To slightly cook the tomatoes and sterilise the jars.
5. Turn the heat off and leave to cool overnight in the pan of water.
These should keep for about three or four months in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep them in the fridge and use within a week.
Trust me once you have tasted the tomatoes, they will not last for very long.
They can be used in sauces, stew, casserole, chilli, pasta dishes etc.
Our French Dream 