Crunchy Oil Cured Tomatoes Recipes

TOMATOES AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut tomatoes into thick wedges and serve with your favorite homemade blue-cheese dressing, some snipped chives, and plenty of cracked pepper.

CURED SAN MARZANO TOMATOES

Steps:

• Set a perforated baking sheet or a fine-mesh rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Place tomatoes on perforated baking sheet; sprinkle with sugar and salt. Cover and transfer to refrigerator; let stand overnight to drain.
• Transfer tomatoes to a large bowl; set aside. Discard liquid. Place garlic, lemon peel, orange peel, thyme, oregano, and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until heated through. Pour garlic mixture over tomatoes. Cover and transfer to refrigerator; let marinate overnight. At this point, tomatoes and marinade may be stored, covered and refrigerated, until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.
• To use tomatoes, remove from marinade and finely chop; reserve marinade for another use.

OVEN-CURED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees. Cut tomatoes crosswise into thirds. Place cut side up on parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with oil; season with salt, pepper, sugar, and marjoram.
• Place in oven. For a gas oven with pilot light, turn off heat after 2 hours; leave overnight. For an electric oven, bake 2 hours, then turn to warm; leave overnight.

SLOW-ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES WITH BASIL OIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish large enough to fit them in a single layer. Add the salt and sugar, and toss together. Add the regular olive oil, and toss again. Place in the oven for 45 minutes until the skins have shriveled and just split; the tomatoes should still be still intact. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil, and salt generously. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Place the basil in the boiling water, and blanch for 15 seconds. Remove with a skimmer, and transfer to the ice water. Drain and squeeze out excess water, then place on a clean dish towel and again squeeze out as much water as you can. Place in a blender with the olive oil. Blend one to two minutes until the olive oil is green and tinged with flecks of basil. Transfer to a squeeze bottle, and refrigerate.
• Arrange the tomatoes on a platter. Drizzle the bright green basil oil decoratively around and over them, and pour on any juices from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.