In an Irish Home

This recipe started out as a traditional oven roasted tomato dish…one I’ve made a million times. But then, something wonderful and unexpected happened.

The afternoon light began to fade: there was no way to get the tomatoes roasted in time to be photographed, so I wrapped them up and left them on the counter overnight.

The next morning, after removing the cling film {plastic wrap}, a cheeky red tomato beckoned me with its lusciousness. Unable to resist, I popped it into my mouth and that’s when I knew…THERE WAS NO WAY THEY WERE GOING INTO THE OVEN!

The tomatoes were sweet and salty and garlicky. I could not stop eating them. In a flash,  I imagined the many ways they could be used {bruschetta, pasta, couscous, salad, grilled chicken, omelet}: so many ways! Then the kids came into the kitchen and they started to nibble on them too. I’ve since made this dish {can it be called a dish?} several times and just poured them into a jar and left them in the fridge. They’ve never lasted long!

Aren’t you thankful when something wonderful and unexpected happens? What dish have you accidentally created…do tell!

Garlicky Marinated Tomatoes

One jar

Ingredients

1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, red and yellow, washed, stems removed, the larger ones cut in half

2 large leaves of basil, rinsed, dried, and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

olive oil

dried Italian herbs, to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the cherry tomatoes in a flat glass or ceramic baking dish that leaves a little room all around {but not too much room}.

2. Add the garlic, basil, and Italian herbs.

3. Add a few good lugs of olive oil. {this isn’t an exact recipe…I know…you don’t want the ingredients swimming in oil, but you do want a nice thin pool in the bottom of the dish}

4. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

5. Wrap the baking dish with cling film {plastic wrap} and leave on the counter overnight to marinate.

6. The next day, unwrap and pout everything into a glass container, with a tight fitting lid, and refrigerate.

Additional Notes, Related Articles & Credit:

* Weck jars…so cute!

** Just used these tomatoes in our omelets this morning. One word: delicious!

*** Eating tomatoes is a good thing: here’s 10 reasons from webmd.com, why we should all be eating tomatoes.

**** Growing basil is a doddle: here’s a post on how to do it from thekitchn.com.

***** If you like tomatoes, this Tomato and Almond Tart from Yotam Ottolenghi is out of this world good.