These candied cherry tomatoes I prepared for Javi's birthday. They accompanied some piadins that I put on an appetizer and they flew practically.

They are sweet tomatoes, caramelized almost with oil, vinegar and sugar and that is perfect in salads, canapés, meats and even sandwiches.

You can use them as pasta sauce. Just refine them for a couple of minutes in a frying pan, add a little grated parmesan and your freshly cooked pasta and you'll have a very special pasta and tomato.

They go great with meats, chicken and fish and you won't believe what will change your pizza if you put them on top with a little arugula and mozzarella.

To make it easy this time I have dulled them, store them in glass jars so that they last longer perfect, although I recognize that they never last in the fridge more than a couple of weeks!

And we have prepared them with and without oven so that all you can make them at home. Let's get the recipe!

Ingredients

• 700g cherry tomatoes
• 2 and a half tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• the zest of one Orange
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped or chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• for the bruchettas: a few slices of bread, a clove of garlic, a little mozzarella, a little arugula and extra virgin olive oil

Directions

To sterilize glass jars: in a saucepan put the pans and completely cover with water. Cook. When the water comes to a boil, leave to heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and wait for the water to cool.

To sterilize the jars we can do the same as with the caps or we can sterilize them in the micro. For them we will wet them completely and fill them about 2 cm of water. We'll put the jars in the microwave for 4 minutes. After this time we let them cool in the microwave and throw away any remaining water inside each boat. Book

To confit the tomatoes in the oven: preheat the oven to 210 degrees C. Place a baking paper on a baking sheet. Book.

Rinse the tomatoes with cold water, dry them with a kitchen cloth and set aside.

While the oven is heating, place the tomatoes on the baking sheet and add the oil, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Move well to cover with sauce.

Wash the orange and grate your skin. It is important not to grate the white part, only the surface skin. Add the zest to the tomatoes and mix well. Cut the garlic head in half and place it on the tray with the tomatoes.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, moving occasionally. Remove from the oven when the skins break and the juices begin to caramelize.

Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fill the glass jars, covering the holes with extra virgin olive oil leaving a couple of cm before the jar is fully filled. Cover well.

To confit the tomatoes without oven in a saucepan, put the washed and dried tomatoes on a large saucepan or frying pan. Add oil, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Move well to cover with sauce. Add the orange zest to the tomatoes and mix well.

Put the pan on a high heat for a couple of minutes until the pan is warm. With the help of a wooden spoon. move well so that all tomatoes mix well with all the ingredients.

Lower the temperature to medium-high and continue caramelizing the tomatoes for about 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes start to break.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fill the glass jars, covering the holes with extra virgin olive oil leaving a couple of cm before the jar is fully filled. Cover well.

To vacuum the jars: put the jars in a large saucepan and completely cover with water. Bring to the boil and leave to boil for about 15 minutes. After this time, we can get them out, let them cool completely and store in the fridge or pantry. They'll last a couple of months, even though they never last that long!

To make the bruschettas: toast a few slices of bread over a grated frying pan. Rub a clove of garlic on one side of each slice of bread.

Top with a few arugula leaves and a little mozzarella cheese. Put on top of some candied tomatoes and finish with a little extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

Published 11, September 2019

Tips and Tricks

• You can aromatize them with the fresh grass you like the most
• Add a couple of chopped garlic cloves for extra flavor
• Difficulty: easy
• Preparation time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 2 jars