This Mediterranean appetizer is popular among fans of Italian cuisine. It is expensive to purchase this Italian product in a store, and it is not always clear what ingredients were used in its preparation and under what conditions the preparation was made. Sun-dried tomatoes can be prepared using different methods at home; we will tell you about each method in more detail.
- Features of preparing sun-dried tomatoes
- How to select and prepare a vegetable before starting the process
- How to make your own sun-dried tomatoes at home
- A simple step-by-step recipe for the winter
- Recipe from Yulia Vysotskaya
- In the oven
- In an electric dryer
- In the microwave
- Italian recipe
- In a convection oven
- With balsamic vinegar
- With garlic
- With basil and garlic
- Drying tomatoes in the sun
- In olive oil
- In sunflower oil
- Recipe from Alla Kovalchuk
- Recipe from Vincenzo Barba
- In the Isidri dryer
- Sun-dried cherry tomatoes
- How much and how are the blanks stored?
Features of preparing sun-dried tomatoes
Dried tomatoes are used in many recipes. Thanks to them, the finished dish acquires a unique taste and smell. This product can act not only as an ideal snack, but also as an additive to any ready-made dish. It should be noted that as a result of this processing, tomatoes do not lose nutritional value, vitamins and microelements; they are retained in the same quantities as in fresh tomatoes.
How to select and prepare a vegetable before starting the process
Before you start the drying process, you need to choose the right tomatoes. When purchasing, pay attention to southern varieties of tomatoes; it is important that they are not overripe or green; it is better to choose fruits with dense, fleshy pulp.
How to make your own sun-dried tomatoes at home
The fruits are cut in half, and the middle is removed with a regular spoon. The result is a kind of boat with dense elastic walls.
Dry the tomatoes using any convenient or desired method: oven, sun, microwave, etc.
A simple step-by-step recipe for the winter
In urban conditions, it is best to make such a preparation in the oven. The step-by-step process will look like this:
- Tomatoes should be cut into several parts.
- To prepare for drying, seeds and membranes should be separated from the walls.
- After this, the tomato slices are placed on a baking sheet with the cut side up.
- The pieces are sprinkled with salt and herbs and spices (basil, garlic, chopped parsley) on top.Salt, in addition to its taste, helps remove excess moisture from tomatoes, and thereby reduce drying time.
- The baking tray with tomato particles should be placed in the oven at a temperature of 80. The procedure will take about 5 hours.
- During drying, you should turn the pan several times to prevent the workpieces from burning.
Recipe from Yulia Vysotskaya
The recipe for delicious sun-dried tomatoes from chef Yulia Vysotskaya is especially popular among gourmets and fans of Mediterranean cuisine.
So, how to cook tomatoes according to Julia Vysotskaya’s recipe:
- Cut each tomato in half and remove the seeds.
- Place the resulting halves on a baking sheet tightly to each other, cut side up.
- Prepare the dressing. To do this, mix the spices in a mortar: black peppercorns, dried basil, a pinch of coarse sea salt, fresh basil and garlic. Grind the mixture with a pestle into a homogeneous mass.
- Brush each tomato with the resulting mixture.
- The author recommends seasoning the dish with Provençal oil. Water the tomato halves generously; they should be 2/3 immersed in oil.
- Place the tomatoes in the oven, heated to 190, and wait for at least 3 hours.
In the oven
For this recipe without oil, cut the tomatoes into two parts if the fruits are small, and into four parts if the tomatoes are large. Then place the pieces on a baking sheet in tight rows, cut side up.
Mix salt, pepper and sugar separately. Take 3 parts salt, pepper and 5 parts sugar.
The mixture is sprinkled onto tomato fruits, every particle. Next, sprinkle with dry basil. Place peeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet, about 4-6 per baking sheet. After this, the baking sheet is placed in an oven preheated to 120 for 4-5 hours.
In an electric dryer
If you have a device such as an electric dryer, you can also make sun-dried tomatoes:
- To do this, prepare the tomato fruits, rinse and cut into slices of about 1 centimeter.
- The circles must be placed on the grill and the device must be turned on.
- While the process is going on, you should prepare the dressing. To do this, peel two garlic heads and chop them. The resulting mass must be transferred to a separate bowl, sprinkled with salt and mixed. The second dressing will contain Provençal herbs.
- Dried fruits are taken out of the dryer.
- Place the tomatoes and the dressing alternately in the prepared container. And crush it with a spoon. Then, when the container is filled, you should pour the contents with oil and cover the container with a lid.
- The second jar is filled in a similar way, only instead of garlic, each layer is sprinkled with salt and Provençal herbs.
- The filled container is filled with oil and covered.
Containers with blanks are stored in the refrigerator compartment. The full taste of the dish will appear in two weeks.
In the microwave
Cooking tomatoes in a device such as a microwave occurs as follows:
- Wash and dry tomatoes are cut into two parts.
- The halves are placed in a deep heat-resistant container with the cut side up.
- Next, you need to mix the spices: garlic, seasonings to taste.
- Seasonings should be sprinkled with a small amount of the mixture on all the slices and poured over them with oil.
- Then the oven should be set to maximum power. Cooking time is 6 minutes. Then open the door and leave the fruit for 15 minutes.
- Add a little salt, drain the juice (if any) and place in the oven for another 2-3 minutes.
- At the end of the cycle, place the finished fruits in a container.
- Sprinkle with chopped garlic and pour over the juice that was previously drained.The product must be stored in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours.
Italian recipe
Tomato slices prepared in the usual way must be placed on a baking sheet covered with special parchment. Seasonings: dry basil, oregano and sage, sprinkle with tomatoes. Season with a little salt and pepper, add sugar and Provençal oil to the fruit particles.
Next, place the tomatoes in the oven, heated to 100-120 degrees, and turn on convection. When the dried tomatoes are cooked, take them out and put them in a glass container with a lid, fill them with oil and put them in the refrigerator. After two days you can taste it.
In a convection oven
Sun-dried tomatoes must be cooked in a convection oven: so that air circulates during the process, otherwise the tomatoes will not be sun-dried, but baked.
With balsamic vinegar
To prepare sun-dried tomatoes with balsamic vinegar you need:
- Tomato slices should be sprinkled with a mixture of salt, sugar, pepper, basil, and Provençal herbs.
- The fruits should be dried for 6-8 hours.
- Place the finished tomatoes in a glass bowl with freshly chopped basil. The layers are sprinkled with Provençal seasonings.
- When the jar is completely filled, pour oil over the tomatoes and add a spoonful of balsamic vinegar.
- The workpiece is stored in the pantry.
With garlic
The prepared fruits are cut into 2-4 parts, focusing on the size of the tomato. The middle is removed from the halves. The resulting slices are laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment in oil. Next, the fruits should be salted, greased with oil and sprinkled with herbs.
The blanks are dried in an oven heated to 50 degrees, with the door ajar for about 8-9 hours.
With basil and garlic
First you should prepare a mixture of basil, chopped garlic and Provençal oil. When the tomato slices are dried in the oven, using convection mode, they should be placed in a glass dish in layers. Each layer should be poured with spiced oil. Filling completes the container.
Drying tomatoes in the sun
Prepared fruits should be cut into 4 parts. Remove seeds and veins. Next, the slices are placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Then you should sprinkle the tomatoes with a mixture of seasonings and salt. Afterwards you need to cover it with several layers of gauze. The baking sheet is exposed to the sun. Drying continues for several days.
In olive oil
Cut the prepared fruits into 2-4 parts. Place the resulting slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment, salt and season with herbs. Place pieces of garlic on top of the particles. Dry the tomatoes in the oven for 4-5 hours at 110 degrees. Place the tomatoes in clean containers, cover with garlic and pour over Provençal oil. Such vegetable preparations can be stored for 2-3 months.
In sunflower oil
Dry tomatoes using any method you like. Afterwards you will need to prepare the oil; to do this, place pieces of garlic in a frying pan, pour oil over them and heat over low heat. Tomatoes should be placed in a jar in layers, each layer should be lined with garlic. Next, fill the workpiece with the resulting mixture. This preservation can be stored for about 4-5 months.
Recipe from Alla Kovalchuk
Remove the peel from the tomatoes and cut into two or more pieces. Remove the core from the fruit and place the slices on a baking sheet. Salt, pepper and season with chopped parsley and herbs to taste.Next, you should dry the tomatoes at a temperature of 100 degrees for 1.5-2 hours. Prepared vegetables should be placed in a sterilized glass container and poured with hot oil.
Recipe from Vincenzo Barba
Peeled tomatoes dried using the same method are laid out in layers in a jar. In this case, they should be lined with garlic slices, sprinkled with seasonings and filled with calcined oil.
In the Isidri dryer
Tomato slices prepared in the usual way are placed on an Isidri dryer tray. Tomatoes are sprinkled with salt and a mixture of Provençal seasonings. The fruits should be dried for about 6 hours, the temperature is 70 degrees. The resulting fruits are placed in a bowl with heated oil, garlic and herbs (basil, dill and parsley).
Sun-dried cherry tomatoes
Cherry fruits are cut into two parts. For very juicy tomatoes, it is better to remove the middle, otherwise they will dry out for a very long time. The particles are placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment and coated with oil. Then they need to be salted and sprinkled with seasonings. After which the tomatoes should be dried in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees. You need to dry it for about two hours.
How much and how are the blanks stored?
If the fruits have been dried in the sun, they are stored in a cotton bag or in a cellar for about 6-8 months. If the fruits are not very dried, then they are compacted tightly into a glass container and poured with hot oil. Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator. You can store them like this for about a year. In addition, sun-dried tomatoes can be packaged in food-grade plastic and stored in the freezer.