Fleshy varieties of tomatoes are best suited for drying. One of the most successful and affordable varieties is the “Slivka” variety. You can also dry tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes and any small variety of tomatoes. The tomatoes should be ripe and firm, but not overripe.

Wash the tomatoes, dry them and cut them in half or into 4 parts depending on their size.
Remove the seeds using a spoon or knife so that the tomatoes wilt faster.

Tip 1. It is not necessary to remove the seeds; there is another drying option when the tomatoes are simply cut in half or into 4 parts and dried along with the seeds. This way they will dry about 2 times longer and at a higher temperature than tomatoes without seeds, but the taste will be even more interesting.

Cut the garlic into thin petals.

Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment. You can grease the parchment with vegetable oil to make the skin of the sun-dried tomatoes softer.
Season the tomatoes with coarse salt. You can leave them like this for half an hour, and then drain the resulting juice.
Season with freshly ground pepper.
You can also sprinkle with a literal pinch of sugar for a touch of sweetness if you wish.
Sprinkle with dried herbs: I have a mixture of Italian dried herbs, you can also take dried basil, thyme, rosemary, Provençal herbs - the choice depends only on your preferences.
And arrange the garlic petals.
You can also sprinkle the tomatoes with vegetable oil on top.

Place the baking sheet with the tomatoes in the oven and dry it at a temperature of 50-80 degrees.
Be sure to leave a small gap for steam to escape.
The lower the temperature, the longer the tomatoes will dry.

I dry as follows: first I always set the temperature a little higher, about 70-80 degrees and dry for an hour or 2, then I lower the temperature to 50 degrees and dry for about another 6 hours at a low temperature. The time and temperature will always depend on the size of your tomatoes and their moisture content.

But when I dry tomatoes with seeds, simply cut in half, I dry them almost all the time at a higher temperature, about 70-80 degrees, and only at the very end, I lower the temperature to 50 to make it easier to control the process. Such tomatoes will dry for about 15-18 hours, again, the time depends on the selected temperature and the juiciness of the tomatoes.

It is also very convenient to dry tomatoes in a vegetable dryer or so-called dehydrator.
I lay out the tomatoes on a drying tray, also season with coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, sprinkle with dried herbs and arrange garlic petals.
I leave them in the dryer overnight, in the morning, usually the tomatoes are already ready.

It often happens that tomatoes dry out unevenly - I simply remove some of the already wilted tomatoes, as they can dry out and become tough, and leave those that still have quite a lot of moisture to dry.

From 1 kilogram of fresh tomatoes you get about 80 grams of sun-dried tomatoes.
Readiness is determined as follows:
1. The tomatoes will significantly decrease in volume, we see this visually, they bend well in different directions - this means that they are not too dry.
2. But at the same time, the tomatoes remain slightly moist, but not wet to the touch.

There are several ways to store sun-dried tomatoes for a long time.
I proceed as follows: fill a clean sterilized jar with tomatoes, add a pinch of dried herbs, you can add a little salt to taste, and fill it to the top with vegetable oil.
I use olive oil, I keep several of these jars of tomatoes in the refrigerator, olive oil thickens in the cold, but quickly clears up at room temperature.
You can add sunflower oil. Please note that tomatoes should always be completely covered with oil: take tomatoes, for example, for a salad, use oil for dressing - and be sure to immediately add fresh oil to prevent mold from forming. And I put the remaining tomatoes in a bag and store them in the freezer. When one jar comes to the end, I fill it with tomatoes from the freezer, again adding oil to the top. With this method, tomatoes are stored for a long time. And this is a great idea for saving space in the refrigerator, and in the freezer a bag of tomatoes takes up very little space.

To ensure that tomatoes can be stored at room temperature, you can add about a teaspoon of wine vinegar to a half-liter jar or pour hot sunflower oil over the tomatoes. Heat the oil well, but do not bring it to deep-frying temperature, otherwise you will simply deep-fry the tomatoes.
You can also sterilize jars of tomatoes in the oven: put the tomatoes in the jars, pour in sunflower oil, put in a cold oven, heat to 120 degrees. Sterilize half-liter jars for about 15 minutes.
For long-term storage, add only dried garlic and dried herbs to jars.

Well, now a little bonus. If you like experiments, then you will like this idea. You can make original chips from tomatoes))
We also prepare tomatoes as for drying, only we dry them at a higher temperature and, preferably, with convection.
We set the temperature to approximately 120 degrees, periodically check for readiness, approximately every half hour. The chips will take about 3 hours to cook, again, the time is approximate, depending on the size of the tomatoes and the power of your oven. But if you dry tomatoes for a long time at a low temperature, they will not turn into chips, they will simply become very hard.

Italians use dried tomatoes in many dishes. These tomatoes give them a unique taste and aroma. Currently, sun-dried tomatoes can be purchased in the store, or you can make them yourself at home. And it's not very difficult as it might seem at first.

Making sun-dried tomatoes

There are several ways to prepare sun-dried tomatoes: air dry, microwave, or oven. You can also simply dry them and store them in this form, or you can add oil to them and this way they will be stored longer. Let's consider several options for their preparation.

The first option is to dry the tomatoes in the fresh air. This is a classic method that requires sunlight and an air temperature of at least 32-34 degrees.

You need to choose the right tomatoes. It is best to choose the “cream” cherry variety of tomatoes for cooking. They must be ripe, without cracks or stains, small (100-150 grams) and preferably grown at home. It should also be remembered that from 15-20 kg of fresh tomatoes you can get 1-2 kg of dried ones.

To prepare them you will, of course, need tomatoes, salt, baking paper and drying dishes.

First of all, you need to wash the tomatoes in cold water. Then cut them in half and take out all the seeds, membranes and stalks with a teaspoon. The bottom of the dish prepared for felting should be covered with parchment paper and the tomatoes should be placed there with the cuts facing up. Salt the halves, cover with gauze and place in the sun.

When evening comes, it is better to put them in a warm place. Tomatoes are dried until all moisture is removed from them. This may take 8-9 days provided the air temperature is above 32 degrees. A sure sign that the tomatoes are ready is a whitish cut.

But in our latitudes, such weather does not last long, so the drying process can be carried out in the microwave or oven. Let's consider cooking sun-dried tomatoes in oil using a microwave oven.

To prepare them you will need tomatoes, garlic, salt, olive oil and a mixture of spices. Tomato preparation is standard (cut in half, remove the core with a spoon). Place the resulting halves on a flat surface with the cut side up, then add spices and pour oil so that they are covered to the middle. Turn on the microwave for a maximum of 5-6 minutes, and then for another 10 minutes at a lower power.

After time, drain the resulting juice and salt the tomatoes. Take a jar and layer tomatoes. Between them we place garlic, passed through a garlic press. Pour in the resulting juice and oil. If it is not enough, then add olive oil.

It should be said that they are deprived of moisture, but they do not lose the beneficial properties of fresh vegetables. They still contain vitamins (C, PP, B), minerals (Mg, K, F, Ca), and dietary fiber. At the same time, they are significantly higher in calories than fresh ones - 13 times.

What do you eat sun-dried tomatoes with?

Dried tomatoes are a unique product that is suitable for preparing snacks and more complex dishes. Often, the knowledge of many housewives is only enough to add these tomatoes as a seasoning to the main ingredients. But there are several secrets, knowledge of which will help expand the range of culinary possibilities:

1. To return sun-dried tomatoes to their previous state, you can fill them with water in a 1:1 ratio for several hours. They will absorb moisture, regain their previous appearance, and the core will become soft. But the taste and aroma of the spices will remain like dried tomatoes: richly sweet. Only excess salt will go away.

2. There is also an accelerated way to return sun-dried tomatoes to their original condition. Here you need a tablespoon of the bite, which must be added to a liter of water, bringing it to a boil. When the water boils, you can place dried tomatoes in it and hold them there for 2 minutes. The tomatoes will become soft but retain their firmness. If you do not add vinegar, then the tomatoes need to be cooked for 3-4 minutes.

3. Dried tomatoes can be further crushed and added along with other seasonings to various dishes: salad dressing, baked goods, soups, omelettes and much more.

You can also make your own marinated dried tomatoes, and they will be much tastier than store-bought ones. To make them, you need to put them in a container that you can then close with a lid, sprinkle them with a mixture of dried herbs, add a couple of peppercorns and a few pre-baked garlic cloves. All this needs to be poured with heated olive oil so that it completely covers the dried vegetables. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Sun-dried tomatoes can also be an independent dish - a snack. For example, sun-dried tomatoes in oil with cheese are a classic of Italian cuisine. They are prepared as follows: place a leaf of fresh basil on a slice of dried vegetable, then a piece of hard goat or cow cheese, and then again a slice of tomato. Such “pyramids” need to be placed in a jar and filled with heated olive oil. They should marinate for about a day.

You can prepare a huge number of delicious and at the same time simple dishes from dried tomatoes. Let's look at a few classic and well-known recipes.

1. Sandwiches with dried tomatoes. To prepare them you will need 1 baguette, ½ tbsp of sun-dried tomatoes marinated in oil, 5 fresh medium-sized tomatoes, 200 grams of hard cheese, 4 tbsp. l. olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, basil, 1 tbsp. l. balsamic vinegar, salt and ground pepper. Place baguette slices (slices 3 cm thick) in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

Mix sun-dried tomatoes with finely chopped fresh tomatoes, squeeze out the garlic, add chopped basil, butter and grated cheese. Spread the resulting mixture among the baguette slices and place in the oven for another 5 minutes until the cheese melts. They can be eaten either hot or cold - they will be equally tasty.

2. You can use them to make pesto sauce. To do this, you need to stock up on one large tomato, 100-150 grams of dried tomatoes, 50 grams of cheese and nuts (you can take pine, almonds, walnuts), 5 tbsp. l. olive oil, a clove of garlic and a pinch each of fresh basil leaves and ground paprika. Mix all ingredients (except butter and grated cheese) in a blender until pureed, and then gradually add olive oil and cheese. The sauce is ready.

3. . To do this you will need ½ kg of feather pasta, 1 tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes and 1 tbsp. cream, ½ kg chicken fillet, fresh basil, 2 bell peppers, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, a little chili powder. Fry the diced chicken meat and add chopped garlic.

While the meat is frying, core the pepper, cut into strips and bake in the oven (then it will need to be finely chopped), and chop the sun-dried tomatoes in a blender. When the chicken is fried, add pepper, sun-dried tomato puree, chopped basil, chili pepper and top it all with cream. Simmer for half an hour covered over low heat until thickened. Boil the pasta until half cooked, drain the water and place on plates, and pour hot sauce on top.

4. A simple salad for dinner with dried tomatoes. It will require 4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, 10 green olives, half a red onion, 40 grams of Mozzarella cheese, 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, basil sprig, salt, peppercorns, lettuce.

We cut the cheese into cubes, cut the dried tomatoes lengthwise into strips, cut the olives into 4 parts, and cut the onions into rings. Then place lettuce leaves, previously torn by hand, on the bottom of the dish. Place tomatoes cut into strips on them, then olives and onion rings. Cheese cubes finish everything off. Fill with dressing.

For it you need to mix oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped basil leaves. Beat a little. Salad ready.

In addition to the above recipes using sun-dried tomatoes, there are many more possible dishes. For example, tomatoes in oil can be used for salads and even marmalade, and crushed sun-dried tomatoes can be added when baking bread. Sun-dried tomatoes can be stored for a year, so you can safely prepare them in the summer to enjoy their taste in the winter.

The idea of ​​drying tomatoes for the winter is not new. This method of harvesting these tasty and very healthy vegetables has long been used by rural residents of the southern regions of Russia, who annually receive rich harvests of ground tomatoes. For a long time, there was only one recipe for making sun-dried tomatoes, which involved drying them in the sun. Modern housewives more often use kitchen appliances for this (ovens, electric dryers, microwaves, etc.).

Sun-dried (aka dried) tomatoes are tasty and healthy. Let's figure out how to dry them correctly

Our article is devoted to various methods of drying tomatoes, as well as the rules for storing this product and its use in cooking.

What tomatoes are suitable for drying?

If you are going to dry tomatoes at home, you need to choose those fruits that are best suited for this method of harvesting. Tomatoes intended for drying must meet the following requirements:

• have a medium or small size;
• be ripe, but not soft;
• have a strong skin, dense pulp, thick internal membranes and a small number of seeds.

The best option is considered to be oval or plum-shaped tomatoes (varieties San Marzano, Pink Fang, De Barao, Casper, Chibis, Maryushka, Nadezhda, Amulet, Adelina, etc.). Small round fruits and even small cherry tomatoes are also suitable if they have fleshy and not very juicy pulp.

For drying, choose small, ripe tomatoes with strong skin and dense flesh.

Preparation of raw materials

You can dry tomatoes after proper preparation. It includes the following steps:

1. The fruits are washed and dried well with a towel.
2. The tomatoes are cut. Small plum or cherry ones - in half, larger and round ones - into 4 parts.
3. Using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and juice (optional) from the tomato pieces.

Tomatoes are washed, dried well, cut and laid out to dry.

What seasonings should I use?

The prepared fruits are laid out, skin side down, on a baking sheet (if you are going to dry the tomatoes in the oven), previously covered with parchment. To avoid the product burning, the paper can be lightly greased with vegetable oil. Now the raw materials need to be seasoned. In fact, sun-dried tomatoes are delicious on their own, but there are many recipes for seasonings that make the finished product even more attractive. In any case, the tomato pieces are salted at the rate of 15 g of salt per 2 kg. In addition to salt, you can use a small amount of sugar and the following mixtures to obtain an interesting taste:

1. Ground black pepper + dried Provencal herbs + garlic (cut into thin slices).
2. Garlic + rosemary.
3. Bay leaf + mint + thyme.
4. Ground ginger + dried shallots + garlic.
5. Dry and crushed lime leaves + lemongrass (“lemongrass”).

Tomatoes intended for drying are also seasoned with oregano, basil, dill, parsley, cilantro and any other herbs and spices to taste.

You can dry tomatoes by sprinkling them with seasonings. They use not only salt, but also various mixtures of herbs and spices

How to properly dry tomatoes: devices and methods

Oven

Drying in the oven should take place at a temperature of at least 60 ℃ with convection turned on. In principle, you can heat the device up to 90 ℃, and even up to 120 ℃. There are no strict recommendations in this regard. The fact is that every housewife dries tomatoes to the state she desires, depending on how long she plans to store them and how to use them in the future.

The higher the drying temperature, the faster the tomatoes will lose water. Considering that the product is often stored in vegetable oil and used without prior soaking, it makes sense to dry the tomatoes until their pulp acquires a consistency between fresh and completely dry. In this case, the fruit slices become flexible and elastic and acquire a specific pleasant aroma. At the minimum processing temperature in the oven, this takes from 9 to 12 hours (depending on the degree of moisture of the raw materials).

Electric dryer

If you intend to dry tomatoes in an electric dryer, prepare the fruits, place them on trays and heat them in the mode recommended by the instructions for your device. Typically, the process takes about 9 hours, and during this time the pallets will need to be swapped 3-4 times.

Microwave

Some people dry tomatoes in the microwave, but this method is not considered the most successful. During the processing process, dishes with tomato slices have to be repeatedly removed and the released juice must be drained. The whole procedure takes much less time than with other drying methods, but, according to experts, the quality of the finished product is significantly lower.

In the sun

You can dry tomatoes “the old fashioned way” by simply laying out the pre-chopped fruits, freed from juice and seeds, and salted, in the hot sun. It is important to understand that you will receive a quality product only if the daytime temperature remains at least 30 ℃ for several days. In addition, you will have to work quite intensively: the tomatoes will need to be protected from flies and dust with gauze, turned over at least once every 4 hours, and brought indoors in the evening and when the weather worsens.

You can dry tomatoes using an oven, electric dryer, microwave (not the best way) and in the sun

Storing and using sun-dried tomatoes

The housewife won’t have much trouble with tomatoes that have been dried “to the point of chips.” They contain almost no moisture, and can be stored in the same way as any other dried vegetables and fruits: in a dry, cool place, packed in tightly sealed glass containers or cardboard boxes. Unfortunately, the culinary uses of such a product are very limited: it is usually crushed and used to improve the taste of soups, sauces and main courses.

Heavily dried tomatoes are best stored in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Tomatoes, dried to a state of medium moisture, can be added to salads, pizza, sandwiches, pies (mixed with other vegetables or meat), a variety of side dishes, and simply eaten as an independent (and very appetizing) snack. The problem is that the fruits in this case contain a certain amount of liquid, which increases the risk of spoilage.

The best option for storing sun-dried tomatoes is to pack them in glass containers in oil. To do this you need:

1. Dry the tomatoes in any convenient way.
2. Place the finished slices in pre-sterilized glass jars, adding spices and herbs to taste. You can also add pieces of garlic, but they will have to be preheated in vegetable oil, since fresh garlic can “ferment” the workpiece. Hot chili peppers are often used as an additive, the fruits of which are dried together with tomatoes, cut into strips and the seeds removed. There are also quite exotic dishes intended for gourmets (if you wish, you can find a video dedicated to their preparation). For example, olives, citrus zest, and even dried shrimp and fish sauce are sometimes added to sun-dried tomatoes placed in jars.
3. Pour the contents of the jar with heated, but not boiling, vegetable oil (you can use any oil you like: olive, flaxseed, sunflower, etc.).

Tomatoes, dried to medium moisture, are stored in a glass jar with spices and oil.

If you are going to store sun-dried tomatoes for no longer than two weeks, you don’t have to pasteurize them: the product will still be eaten before it starts to spoil.

For long-term storage, jars filled with tomatoes, seasonings and oil are heated in a water bath (liter for 30-40 minutes), and then rolled up with sterilized lids. Additional guarantees of safety are provided by adding vinegar (balsamic or red wine) to the mixture. Such canned food can retain its consumer properties for up to six months.

Open containers of sun-dried tomatoes should be kept in the refrigerator.

The oil with which the tomatoes are poured gradually becomes saturated with the aromas of vegetables, garlic and herbs and becomes an excellent salad dressing

The oil with which the vegetables are poured gradually becomes saturated with the aromas of tomatoes, garlic and herbs and becomes an excellent salad dressing.

Soft milk cheese is very tasty (you can use Adyghe cheese, mozzarella and even pre-soaked cheese and freed from excess salt), which is cut into cubes and infused for 4-5 days in such oil.

Some housewives prefer to grind the entire contents of the jar with a blender until smooth. The result is a wonderful sauce, exotic and spicy, which can be used as an additive to meat and fish dishes.

How do you know how to dry tomatoes? Share recipes in the comments.

Video

We offer you to watch a video on the topic of the article.

Text: Emma Murga

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Sun-dried tomatoes according to Italian recipes

Sun-dried tomatoes are a very popular preparation in southern countries. Where there is plenty of sun, tomatoes and olive oil, drying tomatoes is easy and inexpensive. They simply lay them out in the heat and do other things.

For us, this recipe is suitable when there are plenty of tomatoes and you don’t mind buying a bottle of olive oil, which, of course, can be replaced with regular vegetable oil (or vegetable oil with the addition of sea buckthorn oil, corn oil, walnut oil, sesame oil), but the taste will be slightly different. Olive oil is ideal here. It is imbued with the aroma and taste of tomatoes and spices. And in the cold it also thickens, becoming viscous and jelly-like. This is also very tasty, you can eat it with a spoon.

Which tomatoes are suitable for drying and drying?

It is better to take dense tomatoes, which have thick walls and little fluid core - oblong cream tomatoes.

Is it necessary to remove the liquid core when drying tomatoes?

I took out the middle of the tomatoes, but looking at Italian recipes I realized that this is not necessary. Many housewives from Calabria and Puglia simply dry tomatoes by cutting them into halves or quarters (when the tomato variety is not plum-shaped, but round). It's easier, less hassle.

Cutting tomatoes for drying

How to dry and cure tomatoes

There are 2 ways to dry and dry tomatoes:

• Slow sun drying during 5.5-10 days(they are covered with clean gauze or another cotton cloth so that insects do not spoil them, dust does not get in and there is shading). During drying, you should sometimes stir the tomatoes and check what is happening under the cloth. The duration of drying depends on the weather and the properties of specific tomatoes. This is a traditional, classic way of drying and drying tomatoes.
• Oven drying(oven) at temperature 80-120 degrees C during 4-10 hours 8 (the oven may be slightly open). 1 baking tray contains about 1 kg of tomatoes. The lower the drying temperature, the slower it goes. The larger and juicier the tomatoes, the slower they dry out. This is a method that is suitable for cloudy, cool weather.

Then the sun-dried tomatoes are placed in jars and filled with olive oil (you can add spices). Cover and store in the refrigerator for about 3 months. Or they are sterilized and the shelf life increases. Readiness occurs no earlier than after 1-2 weeks of storage (all this time fermentation processes continue, the taste gradually changes from good to excellent).

Tomatoes without liquid part on a baking sheet lined with baking paper

Which banks to take

I advise you to put the preparation of sun-dried tomatoes into small jars, they are used up little by little, therefore, there is no point in making 1 large jar, you may not have time to use the open one. Several small ones are better.

Italian sun-dried tomatoes

I give 2 Italian recipes for preparing sun-dried tomatoes with oven drying (recipe from Calabria and Puglia) and sun drying (recipe from Sicily). Both recipes can be made in the oven or in the sun. The only difference is the spiciness of the taste (in the Sicilian recipe, garlic, hot pepper and vinegar are added).

Tomatoes, oil, spices (basil) and salt. I also added garlic to simple sun-dried tomatoes.

1. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in the oven, simple recipe)

1.1. Ingredients

for 2 jars of 150 g. Preparation time 8-10 hours + 20-30 minutes for sterilization.

• Cream tomatoes – 2 kg;
• Olive oil;
• Salt;
• Sugar;
• Spices – dried basil, mint, oregano, garlic – optional.

1.2. How to do

• Wash and cut: Rinse the tomatoes and dry them on a towel. To cut in half. Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper (cut side up). Sprinkle a little salt and sugar. And drizzle a little olive oil on each tomato.
• Dry the tomatoes in the oven: put in the oven and dry at temperature 120 degrees C during 4-10 hours(the oven may be slightly open). 1 baking tray contains about 1 kg of tomatoes.

Tomatoes do not dry at the same time, so from time to time, check them for readiness and remove them from the oven when they are already dried (otherwise they will burn).

• Cool the tomatoes and prepare the jars: Remove the finished dried tomatoes from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. While the tomatoes are cooling, start preparing the canning jars. Wash jars and lids, dry, sterilize or pour boiling water over them.
• Place dried tomatoes tightly in a jar in layers, dripping a small amount of olive oil onto each layer. Cover the top layer completely with oil, making sure that there is 1 centimeter of space left from the edge of the jar. If air bubbles form in the jar, lightly crush or shake the jar so that the oil is distributed evenly throughout the jar and covers the tomatoes. Close the jars with prepared screw caps (or plastic ones). Store in the refrigerator for about 3 months. For longer storage it must be sterilized.
• How to sterilize: Cover the jars or regular iron canning lids. Place in a saucepan, the bottom of which is lined with a cloth (so that the jars do not slip). Pour water into the pan (up to the hangers of the cans). Bring to a boil and sterilize the jars - 0.5 l – 20 minutes, 0.75 l – 25 minutes, 1 l – 30 minutes. Remove the sterilized jars from the water and close the lids without moving them. Check for leaks and let cool at room temperature.
• How to store: Sun-dried tomatoes in oil can be stored for approximately 3 months - if they are sterilized, then at room temperature, but cool, in a dry and dark place. Or unsterilized 3 months. in a refrigerator. Sun-dried tomatoes will be ready no earlier than in 1 week. Any opened (started) jar should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within about a week.

1.3. Oven drying option (temperature-time)

• Cut ripe and juicy tomatoes into quarters. Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Salt and sprinkle with vegetable oil.
• Preheat the oven to 80-100 °C. Dry the tomatoes with the door slightly open for 4-7 hours.

You can also dry the tomatoes in the sun, then put them in jars and fill them with oil. And sterilize to increase shelf life.

2. Spicy sun-dried tomatoes in oil and vinegar (Sicilian recipe)

Sicilian sun-dried tomatoes have a bright, tangy flavor that will remind you of a hot, sunny summer in winter. A very tasty and cheerful snack!

2.1. Composition and proportions

Cooking time - 30 minutes + 5 days and 1 night drying time to dry the tomatoes.

• Ripe cream tomatoes – 12 kg;
• Garlic – 4 cloves;
• Oregano (oregano) – 4 sprigs (or a pinch of dried);
• Bay leaves – 4 pieces;
• Chili pepper – 2 pods;
• Thyme (thyme, sold fresh in the supermarket, dried in the pharmacy) - a small pinch;
• Water – 0.5 l;
• White wine vinegar (or table vinegar 6%) – 0.6 l;
• Olive oil – 1 liter;
• Salt according to VK usu.

2.2. How to cook

• Dry the tomatoes: Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, dry. Cut the tomatoes in half. Place cut side up on a wooden cutting board. Add salt to taste. Leave to dry in the sun for 5 days(they should lie in the hot sun for at least 7 o'clock every day). After the first 6 hours of sun drying, a thin white layer appears on the tomatoes. It must be removed with a fork. This way, you will help the tomatoes release excess internal moisture and dry them (to the dried state, when they are slightly soft when bitten and bend at a bend without breaking. Or to the dried state, when they break like chips).
• Marinate: For Sicilian sun-dried tomatoes you need to prepare a marinade. In a tall saucepan, combine water, vinegar and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, add sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 12 minutes (if you dry less tomatoes, then the cooking time is shorter, by 2-3 kg - 5 minutes). Then place the tomatoes in a colander and drain the water. Place the pickled tomatoes on a towel and leave overnight (9 hours) to dry.
• Prepare the spicy dressing: the next day, chop the greens (if you have fresh oregano and thyme), finely chop the hot pepper (after clearing it of seeds) and garlic. Combine oregano, thyme, garlic and hot pepper and stir.
• Place the snack in jars alternating sun-dried tomatoes and dressing. Add a little oil to each layer. When the jar is full, add oil so that it covers the tomatoes completely. Close the jars with lids (plastic or screw). If you want to store for a longer time, then sterilize the jars as in the first recipe. Then the jars must be covered with thin or screw caps, and closed hermetically only after sterilization.
• Can be eaten in 2 weeks. Only then will the sun-dried Sicilian tomatoes reach their condition.

Sun-dried tomatoes according to Italian recipes. Photos to illustrate what real Italian dried pomdiors look like, Sicilian and regular, from the sites verdepeperone.it, buttalapasta.it, vizionario.it

Tomatoes should be placed in a dry place at night. When drying, tomatoes should be turned to follow the movement of the sun so that they are always exposed to it and not covered in shadow when the sun goes from east to west.

Tomatoes can be covered with a thin perforated cloth such as gauze (only if it has not been used, it is better to rinse and dry the gauze first so that no medical odors remain). This way you will protect the fruits from insects and dust.

If you have an electric dryer, the drying process will take about 2 days.

What to combine with

Sun-dried tomatoes go well with dried white or black bread (croutons), green olives with pits, cheese, they can be added to salads, for example, pasta, lasagna, pies filling, they are placed in bread, meat rolls. This interesting snack can be eaten just like that if you love the rich taste of sun-dried tomatoes.

If you were preparing ordinary sun-dried tomatoes rather than spicy ones, you can add a few capers to them for spiciness when serving.

I also recommend a wonderful Italian canning recipe. Simple and very tasty!

Jar of sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil

I offer a tested one quick recipe for sun-dried tomatoes in the oven! They turn out super tasty, moderately dried (there is something to eat!) and are a little reminiscent of confit tomatoes. (confit) due to the gentle temperature regime of the oven. From 1.5 kg of fresh tomatoes you will get a jar of about 300 - 370 grams of sun-dried tomatoes + delicious spicy aromatic herbal oil for dressings, pasta, meat, fish, salads and pesto sauce. And bruschetta with sun-dried tomato is simply irreplaceable for a picnic! I also suggest.

A couple of years ago, a friend treated me to . The incredible, exquisite taste of sun-dried tomatoes immediately captivated me. In fact, it’s very easy to make sun-dried tomatoes in the oven, but there are a few BUTs! Usually it is recommended to dry them for 6-8 hours, or even more. That's a lot of time.

And for those who have an electric oven, it’s a real waste to keep it on for so long. These homemade sun-dried tomatoes will cost the same as store-bought ones in jars, if not more! To please loved ones with delicious sun-dried tomatoes and, was found A quick way to make delicious sun-dried tomatoes - in just 2 hours in the oven!

What you need to prepare sun-dried tomatoes in the oven:

Fleshy tomatoes.
In our region, plum tomatoes are usually dried because they are exactly what they should be - fleshy, thin-skinned and not watery. Oblong icicle-shaped tomatoes are also perfect.
Purely Italian varieties of tomatoes for drying are Prince Borghese and San Marzano.

Fragrant spices. This is how you can feel the spirit of sunny Italy!
Basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, as well as their mixtures in arbitrary proportions will give sun-dried tomatoes a unique spicy aroma.
You can add our local seasonings - dry dill or its seeds, parsley, thyme.
You'll also need garlic for added flavor - but don't use it when drying tomatoes in the oven. Its place is at the end of cooking, in a jar!
The persistent smell of roasted garlic is not the best smell in the house, which is then difficult to get rid of.

Olive (vegetable) oil. Although high-quality olive oil is unrivaled in terms of beneficial properties and taste, not everyone can afford it. Moreover, if you make a dressing based on it - filling for sun-dried tomatoes. Therefore, do not even think about giving up the delicious delicacy of sun-dried tomato - use regular vegetable, rapeseed or corn oil. The main conditions are that it must be fresh according to the date of manufacture and refined!

Correct oven temperature. For the process of drying tomatoes, you need to select the appropriate mode. For the first 30 minutes, the tomatoes are dried at a higher temperature (220-240 C°), and for the remaining 1.5 hours the temperature is set to 140 - 160 C°. If the oven is not convection, the door needs to be opened slightly to allow air to circulate.
Personally, I didn’t think much about the oven scale in numbers. I usually set it to “4” for or, and everything worked out perfectly!

But sun-dried tomatoes are a special delicate entity, so they require different oven temperatures. For those who do not know the correspondence between scale and temperature, a little hint at the end of the article!

Sun-dried tomatoes recipe in the oven - cook quickly!

To prepare 1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes (about 370 grams) you will need:

• Ripe fleshy tomatoes (cream type) - 1.5 kg
• Dry spices - basil, thyme, rosemary, a mixture of Provençal or Italian herbs - 3-4 tbsp. spoons
• Garlic - 1 head
• Olive (refined vegetable) oil - 1/2 cup
• Salt - 2 pinches
• Parchment or foil (for baking sheet)
• Clean dry jar with a screw-on lid - 1 pc.

Preparation:

P.S. Here are some examples of correspondence between divisions and degrees. The temperature of each division depends on their total number:

• If the gas oven has 9 divisions, and the maximum reaches 280 degrees Celsius, put the tomatoes in the oven for 30 minutes on division “7” (240 C°), then dry for 1.5 hours on “one” (140 C°);
• If the gas oven has 8 divisions, and the maximum reaches 280 degrees Celsius, dry for the first 30 minutes on division “6” (240 C°), then 1.5 hours on “one” (150 C°);
• If there are 8 divisions in a gas oven, and the maximum reaches 250 degrees Celsius, first dry it on division “7” (230 C°), then for 1.5 hours on “deuce” (150 C°);
• If there are 7 divisions in a gas oven, and the maximum reaches 250 degrees Celsius, then for the first 30 minutes we keep the regulator at “6” (240 C°), then reduce it to 140 C°, which corresponds to “one” and bake for another 1.5 hours ;
• If there are 5 divisions in a gas oven, and the maximum reaches 266 degrees Celsius, then for the first 30 minutes we dry the tomatoes on division “3” (about 240 C°), and then reduce the degrees to 150, which corresponds to “one”. Yes, in a stove marked with a temperature regulator of 5 divisions, “one” gets quite hot. Therefore, be sure to open the oven slightly while drying tomatoes.
• For electric stoves with an oven with 7 divisions and a maximum temperature of 250 C°, for the first 30 minutes we set it to division “6” (220-260 C°), for the next 1.5 hours we reduce the temperature to 135-160 C°, which corresponds to the division “ 1".