Being a vegetarian with a severe allergy to all things mushroom can be a little challenging at times. Quite often restaurants {ha ha, well at least when I used to eat out!} will have mushrooms as their vegetarian option on the menu. Apparently mushrooms are quite tasty. Just not to me. I can’t actually taste them, but I sure know within 15 or 20 minutes if I’ve eaten one. Or a tiny piece of one. Or the essence of one. I’ll spare you the details, but it’s far from pretty.

Because of this allergy, and menus lacking anything non-meat or non-mushroom, there have been times when my meal has consisted of a number of side dishes. Do you want to know a secret? I’m totally okay with that. I get to taste a few different things and I’m always happy to do so. Which brings me to today’s Tasty Tuesday recipe – one of my absolute favourite {and super easy} sides: slow roasted caramelised tomatoes.

So, what do you need?
2 cups chopped tomatoes {whatever variety you like, or in our case are at the farmers market when we’re wandering around but I think this recipe works best with smaller varieties}
4 or 5 shredded basil leaves
Half a brown onion
Garlic {one or two cloves, more if it’s cold and flu season!} chopped
Good olive oil
Caramelised balsamic vinegar {see note below if you have regular balsamic vinegar}
Salt & pepper to taste

Okay, now what do you do with it?
Pre heat your oven to 130C {265F}. Line a tray with baking paper.

Pierce your tomatoes if they’re tiny, cut them in half if they’re small, quarter them if they’re medium.

Shred some basil and spread it over the tomatoes.

Dice your brown onion and garlic and sprinkle them round the tray.

Splash the tomatoes, basil and onion and garlic with a lug or two of really good olive oil, then do the same with some caramelised balsamic vinegar. If you only have  regular balsamic, you can sprinkle on a teaspoon or so of raw organic sugar. Add cracked pepper and salt {we use Himalayan rock salt or sea salt} to taste.

Pop the tray in the oven and leave it for 90-120 minutes, checking on it occasionally to give it a shake and make sure the caramelly goodness that is your tomatoes and onions and garlic all mix in.

Take it out of the oven when you’ve had a taste and decide that’s the consistency you want your tomatoes. I like mine really soft and mushy {the full two hours}, but you might like yours to still have some form {closer to the 90 minute mark}.

Cool the tray on a wire rack before transferring your tomatoes to mason jars and storing in the fridge. I know they last a week, but I can’t vouch for any longer than that – because they always get eaten within that time frame in our home!

**I’ve given exact measurements because, well, because some of you will ask me for them! This is really one of those recipes I could make with my eyes closed and just put in however much of each thing I feel like at the time though, so feel free to play around with it.

Once you have these made and stocked in mason jars in your fridge, you’ll be amazed what you can do with them: cold in a salad; warm with poached eggs and spinach; stir them through a simple pasta; serve them warm with white bean mash alongside your vegetarian sausages and some peas; pile them high on some crunchy sourdough toast for an easy and super tasty lunch; or you can multiply the recipe and blend the finished result for a delicious hot or cold soup – the possibilities really are endless!