Low GI & Omega 3 Rich Recipes

Slow roasted tomatoes seem to be everywhere! Fine dining has found a newest best friend – and after eating these – I can see why. My sister in law kindly described them as “life changing” though I am not sure if the champagne they were served with had something to do with that! The certainly are the perfect treat for a pre-Christmas snack, (or any time of year really). The best part is the oil can be strained and refrigerated for a few days, and has a wonderful garlic and tomato aroma and flavour that adds amazing flavour to your cooking.

Tomatoes have a low GI of 15, and the carb content of garlic is almost inconsequential (1g per clove). Because these are cooked in olive oil at very low temperatures, the oil doesn’t transform to the nasty fats as it would if cooked at high heat. (Even olive oil when cooked at hot temperatures converts some of the oil to saturated and trans fats.)

Best served at just above room temperature, in small spoons that are just about a mouthful per serving. And what a mouthful!

Serves: 8

Preparation/ Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 16 baby Doncaster tomatoes (or cherry or baby roma) – the focus is on small tomatoes
• Approx 300 mL extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil (enough to cover the tomatoes in a bowl)
• 1 whole garlic (about 8-10 cloves)
• A few sprigs of thyme and sage

Equipment:

• 1 medium sized saucepan or frypan
• A metal bowl that sits in it easily and allows steam to escape a little around the sides (the bowl I used actually rested in the saucepan, but I added a paper napkin on one side folded up between the bowl and saucepan to create a small window for steam to come out)

Method:

• Place water in the saucepan/ frypan enough to cover the bowl about 1/3 of the way up the sides from the bottom.
• Place the washed tomatoes in the bowl with the garlic cloves (separated into cloves but unpeeled)
• Cover with olive oil completely
• Turn the heat to a medium heat. Once the water boils, turn down to a simmer
• If you have a meat thermometer you can check the temperature (you want to keep it ideally between 50-70 degrees celcius (I checked and found that by this method it never gets too hot.
• Cook for 2 hours
• Don’t stir along the way (this breaks up the tomatoes)
• When cooked, carefully scoop the tomatoes into your serving dish
• Drain the oil into a jar (keeps in the fridge for a few days)
• If you wish to prepare ahead of time, you can reheat the serving container in the oven at a low heat (50-100 degrees celcius) for about 30 minutes prior to serving. At the same time, put the thyme and sage in a small dish with a spray of oil on them and toast in the oven for just a few minutes (till crispy) – can also be done on the stovetop in a small pan
• When ready to serve, gently press on the garlic cloves to squeeze a portion of the sweet inner baked garlic onto each serving spoon. Crush some of the toasted herbs over the top