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I do love the rich flavour of fresh vine tomatoes and better still that of roasted and sundried tomatoes where the flavour is greatly intensified.  Tomatoes are a fantastically healthy fruit.  They are sweet, juicy and yummy.  As well as being low calorie and totally fat free they contain vitamin C and Lycopene which is an antioxidant that helps to mop up free radicals that would otherwise cause cell damage within the body.  Lycopene is thought to help protect against a few different cancers including breast, prostate and stomach.  It has also been linked to smoother looking skin!  To get the best from the tomatoes we eat we need to each bright red tomatoes and avoid tomatoes that have been slow ripened abroad as they contain less lycopene.  It is best to buy those that have been fully ripened in the sun such as those that can be found at the Tomato Stalls website.  There you will also find some other great tasting tomato products.  Tomatoes that have been cooked contain most lycopene as this process helps to release the lycopene from the cells.  The Tomato Stall produce a range of tomatoes that are left to ripen on the vine and are picked at the peak of their ripeness.

Having tried some of their products I am now reporting back to tell you all about them.

Oak Roasted Tomatoes

The tomatoes are full of flavour and would be a welcome addition to a salad as well as many other meals where you would incorporate tomatoes as it they would give it a gorgeous rich taste.  Make sure that you also make use of the delicious oil that they come in as that also contains a good amount of flavour.

I have been wanting to make a focaccia for quite a while now so once these little beauties turned up I decided there was no time like the present so I sat down wrote and then made a recipe for it.

Focaccia with Kalamata Olives and Oak Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

500g of Strong White or Wholemeal flour

14g dried Yeast

320ml warm Water

50ml Olive Oil

1 tsp sea Salt

1 tub of Oak Roasted Tomatoes (180g)

25-30 Kalamata Olives

3-4 tsp Rosemary

5-6 tsp Oil from the Tomatoes for drizzling

Method

Combine the flour, yeast and salt then make a well in the middle and pour in the water and olive oil.  Kneed well for about 10 minutes until the dough becomes elastic and springy.

Place in a floured bowl and cover.  Leave in a warm room for about 40 minutes to prove.

Knead again for a few minutes then transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Cover and leave in a warm rom for a further 30 mins.

When the dough has risen again poke in the olives and tomatoes, sprinkle over the tomato oil and rosemary and bake in a normal oven at 200 degrees or a fan oven at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Once cooked cool a little and serve warm with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (use the vinegar mentioned below it’s gorgeous).

Oak Roasted Tomato Infused Balsamic Vinegar

available form ocado

This I can quite easily say is the best balsamic vinegar I have had the pleasure to taste.  Rich in flavour and also great in quality this can be used in a range of dishes where as some other balsamic vinegars might have a sharper taste this one is more rounded and smooth and absolutely delicious.

Salad with Balsamic glazed onions

Serves 2

2 small Sweet Potatoes

1 sprig of Rosemary

3 cloves of Garlic

Salt and Pepper

90g Mixed Leaves

1.5 red Onions

1 tbsp Olive oil

3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

14 Cherry tomatoes or Oak Roasted Tomatoes

24 Kalamata Olives

30g Walnuts

75g Boursin – Garlic & Herb

Method

Cut the sweet potatoes into bite sized cubes and place in a baking tray lined with foil.  Remove the rosemary from the stalk and sprinkle it over.  Chop the garlic into large pieces and add to the tray then season with salt and pepper.  Cook at 200 degrees in a normal oven or 180 degrees in a fan oven for approx. 22 minutes.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Whilst the sweet potatoes are cooking rinse the leaves and set aside to drain briefly then separate out between two plates / bowls.

Chop up 1.5 red onions and cook in the 1 tbsp of olive oil for a few minutes then add the 3 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar and cook for a further few minutes until the juices reduce.  Set aside to cool.

between both salad portions divide the tomatoes, olives, walnuts and boursin.

Sprinkle over the sweet potato and the onions and serve.

I found that the flavour of the balsamic onions went incredibly well with the salad.  These could also be used in a quiche, possibly combined with Stilton or mature cheddar.  In fact I am even considering just popping some on my morning ryvita with a slice of cheese for a fab burst of flavour.