Sundried tomatoes at home
Today I’m going to tell you how to make sun-dried tomatoes at home. This is not only an amazing stand-alone snack, but also a versatile ingredient for preparing all kinds of home cooking dishes. Sun-dried tomatoes go well with meat, fish, pasta, they can be added to salads and homemade loaf, make sandwiches with them.
Home-cooked sun-dried tomatoes are unusually fragrant and delicious. And the oil, in which they are stored, can be used as a dressing for salads. And yet, home-dried tomatoes are much cheaper (probably even dozens of times cheaper) than the store product. And we will cook them on the basis of their own tomatoes. without nitrates, pesticides, and other harmful substances.
The only annoyance is that you don’t get enough dried tomatoes. For example, out of one and a half kilograms of fresh vegetables I had only about 180 grams of dried. That’s why I highly recommend making a lot of this delicacy at once. you won’t regret it!
General information and recommendations
Tomatoes belong to that rare type of fruit, whose beneficial properties are enhanced in the process of cooking. The fact that the main value of tomatoes is related to the presence in their composition of lycopene, which:
- is characterized by high antifungal and antibacterial activity;
- is able to strengthen capillary walls, have a positive effect on people suffering from chronic diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
- stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, prevents the development of diseases of the digestive organs;
- has a powerful antioxidant effect, increases the immune status of the body (according to some reports it slows the growth of malignant tumors);
- promotes the production of collagen in the skin, improves its condition, reduces the intensity of aging.
Lycopene when heated not only does not break down, but passes into a form that is more fully and effectively absorbed by the human body. In addition, processed tomato products contain much more of this substance than fresh fruit (for comparison, raw tomatoes contain 2.57 mg%, and tomato paste contains 74.5 mg%).
In Mediterranean cuisine, confit tomatoes are traditionally added to the most popular dishes: pasta, risotto, pizza
Cooking sun-dried tomatoes is a great way to provide your family with a rich source of lycopene and an excellent flavoring for the winter. The process itself is simple. The finished product keeps well and can be used as an ingredient in salads and unsweetened baked goods, as a condiment for first courses and hot dishes, as a side dish for meat, poultry and fish, and even as a snack on its own.
Choosing the raw materials
For curing, usually take very fleshy fruits that contain a minimum amount of liquid juice. It is best to use plum- or pepper-shaped varieties, as well as some varieties of cherry tomatoes. The main thing is that they should be equal in size, preferably small, fully ripe, but not soft.
The composition of the preparation usually includes garlic cloves, various spicy herbs (dried or fresh), spices, salt, and sometimes sugar. Lovers of “spicy” add pieces of bitter pepper to jars with dried tomatoes. Some housewives dried tomatoes at the same time with sweet bell peppers and make canned assortments, which have a delicate taste and a beautiful appearance (as in the photo).
Assorted tomatoes and oven-dried bell peppers
The obligatory component when sun-drying tomatoes is vegetable oil. In the homeland of the product (in Italy and the southern regions of France) in the preparation of this type of canned food usually use high quality olive oil first cold pressed (Extra Virgin), but Russian housewives successfully replace it with cheaper analogues: sunflower (naturally, refined and deodorized) or corn oil. The presence of this ingredient allows the casserole to retain its useful properties for a long time, as well as facilitates better absorption of lycopene, which is a fat-soluble substance. The oil in which dried tomatoes are stored becomes very tasty and fragrant over time. It is good to add to salads and marinades for poultry and meat, in the filling for soft and brine cheeses, and in other original Mediterranean dishes.
The process of drying vegetables must be given constant attention, checking the condition of all the pieces and removing them from the baking tray as they are ready
Like other fruits, tomatoes have been sun-dried since ancient times. Today there are more simple and effective ways to make such a preparation at home with the help of household appliances. We offer the most affordable one. with the use of an oven.
Homemade sun-dried tomatoes
Home sun-dried tomatoes can’t be compared with store-bought. And the cost of such a jar in the store is not happy. Cooking it yourself is not so hard, and it turns out many times more economical and tasty. Try!
The only thing you should not skimp on is olive oil. Better yet, look for good olive oil in stock. It is very important that the oil was without bitterness. Otherwise the taste might be disappointing.
I can recommend De Cecco or Filippo Berio oil. Be sure to use Extra Virgin unrefined.
To save, you can dilute a good olive oil with a small amount of other vegetable oil (only odorless, so as not to overpower the taste of olive oil).
The proportion is 1 to 5. I don’t recommend diluting any more.
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Preparing the raw materials
You can sun-dry tomatoes after proper preparation. It involves the following steps:
- The fruits are washed and well dried with a towel.
- Cut tomatoes. Halve small plums and cherries, and cut the bigger and round ones in 4 pieces.
- With a small spoon take out the seeds and juice from the slices of tomatoes (not necessarily).
You can consider that tomatoes are ready for laying out to dry.
Tomatoes are washed, well dried, cut, and laid out to dry
Recipe Sun-dried tomatoes with cheese
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You’ll need: 1 kg of small fleshy tomatoes, 100 ml of olive oil, 100 g of feta cheese, 4-6 cloves of garlic, 3-5 g dried rosemary, 3-5 g dried thyme, 3-5 g dried basil, 1/2 h.л. salt, 1/2 tsp.л. sugar, black pepper to taste.
Cooking. Wash and dry tomatoes. Cut them in half and larger cut them into quarters. Cut out the stalks and remove the seeds with a teaspoon. Dice the feta cheese and slice the garlic.
Place tomato slices skin-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper (parchment) and greased with butter. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the prepared spices, add salt and sugar, drizzle with oil. Put the tray in a preheated 120 degrees oven for an hour.
After an hour turn down the temperature to 80-90 degrees and ajar the door to circulate the air and the evaporation process went faster. Depending on the size and juiciness of the tomatoes, it will take another 3.5-4.5 hours.
When ready, remove the tomatoes from the oven, cool them, and then tamp them down tightly in a prepared sterile glass jar with olive oil, interspersed with pieces of cheese and garlic cloves. Pour the last top layer of tomato slices with olive oil and press to soak in. Cover the jar with the lid and put it in the refrigerator.
If you pour hot olive oil on the prepared tomatoes with cheese and make sure that there is no air traces in the jar, such a preparation, tightly covered with a lid, you can store without refrigeration.
In fact, the idea of wilting tomatoes my husband hatched for a long time. When we were in Italy, he asked the locals for a recipe, but they did not tell him anything sensible. This is because they are sun-drying their tomatoes outdoors, in the hot Mediterranean sun, with a gentle sea breeze blowing through them, which gives them a unique and exquisite taste. Then he reviewed hundreds of video clips on YouTube, from Russian to Italian, in search of ideas and solutions for our realities. I must say that the time was spent not in vain. Tomatoes really turned out almost indistinguishable from their homemade Italian brethren. The secret was revealed and will now be told to readers of the blog. When he made them and after tasting them we approved the recipe and I asked him to describe it and the cooking process, my husband agreed, but said he would not write the sub. In the end, we got a clean material from the author. (Sun-dried tomatoes according to my husband’s recipe. Words and punctuation preserved)
Sun-dried tomatoes became very popular on the Internet. The only thing is that no one specifies what kind of tomatoes come out. We are now talking about the fact that the drying of tomatoes and so dry out, and if you follow the recipes of most bloggers, you can get just charcoal. First of all, you need to decide what you expect to get as a result. If you agree to get the well-publicized charcoal wax, this is not the place to go. For everyone else, I advise you to stop for a while.
How to Make Oven-Dried Tomatoes | Slow-roasted tomatoes
Ingredients: Tomatoes 10 kg. Garlic 3-5 cloves. Oregano 5-7 tbsp.л. Olive oil 0,5 l.
We should have 1 3 liters jar of fried tomatoes.
Cooking: 1. The key to successful sun-dried tomatoes is choosing these very tomatoes. For our delicacy fit only the fleshest tomatoes, which have as little juice as possible. Ideal are oblong tomatoes, also called “cream tomatoes”. 2. I don’t think we need to dwell on the moment of fruit washing, it’s clear as it is. Let’s start with the preparation. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, cut out the tails and all the unripe parts. (I suggest you cut out the middle of the fruit. The pulp we need) 3. Place the resulting quarters on a baking tray, flesh side down. (We put the flesh down on purpose, so that the maximum amount of juice flowed out of the fruit). 4. Leave in this position for at least 30 minutes. After half an hour we turn all the slices and put them upside down. 5. Sprinkle each of the slices liberally with salt. (Do not be afraid to salt. We are not going to salt them anymore, but tomatoes are very sweet after drying, that’s why a little bit of salt is good). In addition to flavor, the salt helps draw out moisture, which is good for us. Many recipes mention that at this point they sprinkle with all sorts of spices. I would not advise doing this, it is not wise. Tomatoes will languish in the oven for about 3 hours, during this time there will be no trace of spices. Also, I advise you to prepare as many baking trays with tomatoes as possible, to get more product at once. (Tomatoes shrink a lot and lose weight) 6. After we have prepared trays with salted quarters we send them to the oven for 1 hour in convection mode with the upper and lower heat. The temperature is 100-110C, no more. Also, be sure to leave the oven door ajar, because.к. We want the moisture to evaporate as quickly as possible. Believe me, just the convection mode is not enough, with the oven closed you get boiled tomatoes, but not dried. 7. After an hour we take the tomatoes out of the oven and gently press them each with a fork. We do not squeeze too hard, but enough to squeeze out the rest of the juice, which has accumulated in the slices. Return to the oven for 1 hour more. 8. For the next hour, every 10 to 15 minutes turn the tray so that the part of the tray closest to the oven door is turned inward. We want to dry the tomatoes all at once, not to take too long. 9. After the 2nd hour, I advise you to press the slices with a fork while turning the baking tray. 10. Once you see that no juice is leaking when you press down, and the look of the slices clearly tells you that they’ve dried, you can take the tray out of the oven. 11. After the slices have cooled, start preparing jars for storage. I suggest using small jars of t.к. After drying, the tomatoes become very small and one tray can easily fit into the mustard jar. 12. Put a little oregano (a few pinches) and a few slices of garlic at the bottom of the jar. 13. Next, lay out a layer of tomatoes. 14. Then add oregano and garlic cloves. 15. Next, everything is repeated to the very top of the jar. When the jar is full, leave it for 10-15 minutes, the tomatoes will settle on their own and you can add a few more layers to the jar. (I would advise you to tamp the tomatoes well and not to skimp on the oregano and garlic. If you like some more herbs you can add them too, thyme, for example, opens beautifully the aroma of tomatoes. Of course after the jar is full, sprinkle with spices.
Heat the olive oil, but do not bring it to a boil. Do not boil the oil. 17. Pour the oil into the jars a little at a time, so that it has time to seep between all the layers of tomatoes. Also try to pour so that the oil coated tomatoes whole. 18. Once cooked leave the jars open for 8-10 hours. It is best left overnight. During this time, the oil will cool down and the tomatoes themselves will “rest” a bit. 19. After 8-10 hours. You can close the jars and put them in the refrigerator. After 6 days, the tomatoes can be eaten Enjoy your appetite and more patience while cooking. Good luck.
Lick your fingers: Top 10 cooking secrets for sun-dried tomatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes are becoming increasingly popular among Belarusians.
Canned and pickled tomatoes are no longer as interesting to modern housewives as their mothers and grandmothers. What’s the secret of dried tomatoes and how to make them?
To prepare them you will need a lot of tomatoes, spices, oven and. a lot of time.
Tomatoes are washed, dried, cut into halves and stalks removed.
Prepare a tray, laying it with foil or parchment paper, on top spread the tomatoes cut side up. The next step is the most valuable in terms of final taste. Tomatoes are sprinkled with pepper, salt, sugar, dried herbs. On top the vegetables are poured a little olive oil, and sprinkled with finely chopped garlic.
Next, tomatoes prepared in this way should be baked at a temperature of 80-150 degrees for at least 3-3.5 hours.
While still hot, the tomatoes should be placed tightly in the prepared jars and covered with the remaining fragrant oil on the baking tray. After taming the tomatoes and closing the jar, you can send it for another 30 minutes in a warm oven, for additional sterilization.
Flavor options: Provencal herbs, bay leaf, and cloves
You can actually “flavor” sun-dried tomatoes with almost any herbs and spices you like. Only salt and maybe a pinch or two of sugar are necessary because they function as a preservative.
Basil, rosemary, allspice, bay leaf, cloves, oregano, and tomatoes are excellent for sun-dried tomatoes.
Perfect beauty and maximum effect
To achieve a deeper flavor and uniform tomato pieces that will look perfect in jars, you can remove the core of the tomatoes before cooking. This is also done in cases where the tomatoes are slightly different in size, and the cooking time may vary.
Additional sun-drying time may also help to achieve a better effect. After 2.5-3 hours of cooking at 150 degrees, you can reduce the temperature to 100, and cook for another 1.5-2 hours.
For the best “curing” effect it is also worthwhile to turn on the convection mode in the oven. Some housewives, who have tried different ways to cook sun-dried tomatoes, have also come up with another trick. They leave the oven door slightly ajar, inserting a wooden spatula soaked in cold water. This allows moist air to escape from the oven where the tomatoes are cooked.
Plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and any kind of small fleshy tomatoes are ideal for cooking dried tomatoes. If you’re using a more watery variety of tomato, the moisture will most likely evaporate, and you will only have to enjoy the skin.
As a result of cooking, tomatoes will greatly shrink in size, but you can not deprive them of moisture completely. They should remain slightly moist, but should not become completely dry and brittle.
By the way, if you undercook the tomatoes, instead of dried tomatoes get baked. So they will be after 1.5-2 hours of cooking.
The basic recipe we gave above recommends putting the tomatoes in jars while they are still hot. However, this variant of cooking dried tomatoes is not the only one. In some recipes, tomatoes should first cool, and then transfer to prepared jars, pouring the layers with oil and “sprinkling” herbs.
In addition to the oven, cook dried tomatoes on the same principle can be in an electric dryer at a temperature of 60-100 degrees. You may as well use the microwave.
And you can store dried tomatoes not only in jars, but also. in the freezer. After tomatoes have cooled in the dryer or oven you can put them in a bag or container and put them into the freezer.
Sun-dried tomatoes are best stored in a dark, cool place. Ideally. in the refrigerator. To keep tomatoes longer, it is recommended when closing the jars shake them well, and leave the warm jars, wrapped in towels, until the next morning with the lids down. Also make sure that the tomatoes are completely covered with oil.
And you can only take them out of the jar with a dry fork. Otherwise they will quickly go moldy.
Sundried tomatoes can be used as an appetizer. They’re perfect with wine, cheese or pasta. Also sun-dried tomatoes can be added to unsweetened baked goods, pizzas, omelets, salads or other dishes. Sundried tomatoes make an excellent accompaniment to meat or fish.
Sun-dried tomatoes on foil
Here is a recipe with photos of sun-dried tomatoes in the oven for the winter at home.
Necessary products for 0.5 liter container:
Canning begins with the preparation of tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes, cut them into four parts and remove the pulp with a teaspoon.
Cover a baking tray with foil and put the vegetables close to each other. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Put the tray in an oven preheated to ninety degrees. Leave oven door ajar during cooking.
Put bay leaf, pepper and tomatoes in a sterilized jar. Sprinkle each layer of dried vegetables with spices, pour hot olive oil. Corking. Let the casseroles cool under a warm blanket.
I advise you to watch the video recipe for making dried tomatoes for the winter in the oven.
Household appliances for drying tomatoes
Modern housewives are luckier than the inhabitants of sunny Italy who invented this way of winter storing tomatoes. Nobody wants to go on the roof to dry tomatoes today. There are appliances in the kitchen that can make the job easier and simpler.
Aerogrill
- Cut peeled tomatoes into halves or quarters.
- Place pieces of vegetables on the grill so that the skin “looks” down.
- Place a plate of garlic on each piece, sprinkle with a mixture of ground peppers.
- Cover the kitchen gadget with a lid, placing a few wooden toothpicks underneath for air circulation.
- We turn on the device, leave it in the working mode for three hours.
Microwave
- Put the cooked vegetables into a glass dish suitable for microwave cooking.
- Turn the oven on to the highest power setting available.
- Put the mold with the tomatoes inside, set the timer for five minutes.
- After the beep, remove the mold and drain the juice from the vegetables.
- Send the mold back for another five minutes, and when the time is up, repeat draining.
- Put the dish with the tomatoes back in the oven for ten minutes and then put the slices into the jars and drizzle with oil.
Oven
- Turn on the oven, preheat it to 120°C.
- We lay out properly sliced and pre-cleaned fruits on a metal baking tray, covered with pastry parchment paper.
- Season tomatoes with your favorite spices, sprinkle the top with minced garlic and drizzle with a few drops of refined vegetable oil.
- Turn on the mode “Convection”, leave the oven in the working mode for two hours. If you don’t have this function, you can rotate the air by opening the door of the appliance ajar.
Multicooker
- Cover the bottom of the multicooker bowl with parchment so that the side space is also partially covered with paper.
- Place half or quarters of the tomatoes in a single layer, as close as possible to one another. Season with Provençal spices, garlic cloves.
- Select the “Baking” mode on the control panel, open the lid of the gadget, so that the evaporating water from the vegetables instantly disappear, not accumulate inside the crockpot.
- After three hours turn off the appliance and let the dried fruit and vegetables cool. Continue with any of the chosen recipes.
Electric dryer
- Put the red slices in the electric dryer on the tray with the skin facing down.
- Sprinkle the fruits with salt and spices, drizzle with olive oil.
- Set the temperature to 75°C on the gadget and forget about the process for six hours.
