Candied Tomatoes are Sweet, Carmalized Roasted Tomatoes with just a hint of Tang!
You will fall in love with these sweet nuggets of delight!
They are roasted in oil at progressive temperatures, till the sugar in the tomato carmalizes to sweet perfection. They are very different from sun-dried tomatoes, that involve dehydrating tomatoes at low heat till they become completely dry.
You can use them as salad toppers, in sandwiches and pastas, as a side with grilled meats…there’s simply no end to the possibilities! 🙂
Here I’ve sprinkled them over a Baby Arugula salad tossed in a simple Italian dressing with some pine nuts and grated Pecorino Romano cheese…Mmmmm!
Slice cherry tomatoes (or any other flavorful small tomatoes you like)
Place tomatoes on a foil lined tray. Leave some breathing room between tomatoes. Do not over crowd.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Be slightly liberal in the use of oil.
Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Preheat oven at 400F. Place baking tray in middle rack. Bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 350F. Bake for another 20 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 300F. Bake for another 20 minutes.
Watch tomatoes carefully in the last 10 minutes of cooking, you want them to caramelize and brown lightly from the sides….not blacken completely and become bitter!
Remove tray from oven.
Transfer pieces to a cool plate. Allow to cool completely.
Store in an air tight container for upto a week in the refrigerator. Or freeze for upto 3 months.
PS: you can use larger varieties like Campari (sliced in two) or vine tomatoes (quartered). Just increase the cooking time at each stage from 20 minutes to 30 minutes.