Photo: from open sources
Sun-dried tomatoes add flavor to many dishes.
Sun-dried tomatoes are a versatile Italian dish that are good on their own or as part of sauces, gravy, pie fillings, or sandwiches with cheeses like mozzarella. One of the simplest recipes for drying tomatoes is offered in the “Divoglyad” section of Channel 5.
Sun-dried tomatoes
Ingredients:
- tomatoes – 1 kg;
- coarse salt (preferably sea salt) – to taste;
- olive oil – 2-3 tbsp. l.;
- dried spices (oregano, basil, parsley, thyme) – to taste;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- Ground black pepper (a mixture of peppers) – to taste.
Preparation:
- Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the core, leaving only the walls.
- Place the tomato halves on a baking sheet, cut side up, put rosemary leaves and 1-2 cloves of garlic in each half.
- Place the baking sheet with the tomatoes in an oven preheated to 120 degrees, and after half an hour, reduce the temperature to 80 degrees and keep the tomatoes there for at least three hours.
- Cooked tomatoes should be dry, but they should not become dry.
- Place the tomatoes in a jar and add oil. Keep refrigerated.
Little tricks for making sun-dried tomatoes
The famous Ukrainian chef Evgeniy Klopotenko admitted that he always has a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in his refrigerator, which will enhance the taste of many dishes – from the simplest bruschetta to liver pate.
Therefore, some advice from an expert not only in Ukrainian, but also in Italian cuisine.
Klopotenko advises choosing medium or small-sized tomatoes. The best varieties are cream, cherry and cocktail. It is desirable that they are the same size, then the tomatoes will dry in the oven simultaneously and evenly.
You can choose either olive or sunflower oil, says the chef. Since tomatoes will be completely covered in oil during storage, he therefore advises choosing a quality extra-virgin olive oil. However, he emphasized with understanding that if such oil is somewhat expensive for someone (and you need about 150-200 ml per jar), then you can get by with sunflower oil. By the way, Klopotenko notes that you should be careful to ensure that the tomatoes are always covered with oil, even if you are already using them. This will extend their shelf life and they will not spoil.
Ready sun-dried tomatoes should be stored in the refrigerator, but do not try to eat them right away – let them be saturated with the aroma of spices and their own taste. Leave them alone for at least a month.
