Some years ago my truffle-eating friend Nicola came back from a holiday in Sicily with a strange variety of dried and spiced fruits which were, he told me, Sicilian specialities. Having worked my way carefully through them all, it was clear to me that these were acquired tastes - and I was in no hurry to acquire some of them. There was one jar, however, that contained something quite delicious that I was unable to analyse. They were sun-dried tomatoes.

I was so excited at the taste of them that it became a priority to learn how to make them for myself. It turned it to be remarkably easy. All you need is sun: three days of it. Even in this country that's not too hard to find. Slice plum tomatoes lengthways almost in half, leaving a little on one side so that it opens like a book. Lay them, skin side downwards, on a large board so that there is a little space between each one. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and leave them exposed to the sun. When they look like shrivelled bats' wings, they're ready. The first year I tried this I made a huge amount - I think I still have some left of that original batch. The reason that they're not all gone is that I ran out of ideas for what to do with them.

Although they have become an immensely fashionable accessory to the well-laid table and turn up regularly in restaurants in improbable combinations with other foods, they are not particularly versatile, and once the novelty has worn off they are easily forgotten on the larder shelf. The Sicilians, who have been drying tomatoes for centuries, eat them as a starter, and I think they are right. They are at their best when prepared simply. Here's how.

Try to buy dried tomatoes that are not over-salted. Put them in a jar with a few cloves of garlic and some rosemary. Cover them completely with good olive oil and wait a week or two for all the flavours to blend together. It's as easy as that. Serve them as an hors d'oeuvre with some stuffed olives and perhaps some Parma ham or sliced salami. This simple recipe has rekindled my liking for dried tomatoes to such an extent that my once large reserves are being quickly depleted.