How to make sun-dried tomatoes at home

Sun-dried tomatoes, if you are not already familiar with them, can revolutionize your consciousness and become one of your favorite dishes for the coming years. Usually, one starts getting acquainted with them by purchasing a small jar in a store and, like any industrial product, they cannot be compared with a delicacy prepared at home. And don’t let the complexity scare you: preparing a dried snack is not at all that difficult, and in every home, as a rule, there are certain devices that can be used in this culinary process.

Introducing Italian cuisine: sun-dried tomatoes

Among many preparations for the winter, this one enjoys unlimited popularity, primarily because it combines the rich taste of aromatic ripe tomatoes and oil infused with herbs. In addition, if the proper temperature conditions are observed, vegetables retain not only the palette of summer taste sensations, but also a set of useful elements contained in fresh fruits. And few people need to explain how important this is for the autumn-winter-spring period.

Although in Russia this dish is popular under the name “dried tomatoes,” in essence the fruits are, rather, dried, and therefore they can be stored, like most dried fruits (dried vegetables), in hermetically sealed containers or even paper bags. Filling with oil is just one of the common ways of preparing them for the winter, and the resulting taste is a specific dish.

What do you eat with and where can you add sun-dried tomatoes?

The list of dishes in the preparation of which you can use sun-dried tomatoes is inexhaustible.

• They are good as additives to both meat, fish and vegetable dishes. Traditionally, pasta (pasta) and pizza are prepared with them.
• A variety of salads with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes are very tasty, especially if there is also arugula.
• They are also good to mix into dough when baking bread and focaccia - traditional Italian flatbreads.
• Finally, sun-dried tomatoes are very tasty either as a snack or as a component of sandwiches with cheese, ham and herbs.

What types of tomatoes can be used for drying?

You can use almost any variety of tomatoes for drying, just keep in mind that large and juicy fruits take a longer time to dry.Therefore, it is rational to dry or dry dense, fleshy tomatoes of small and medium sizes.

Typically, cream or hollow varieties are used for these purposes. In the Mediterranean countries, where these recipes came to us, the San Marzano and Prince Borghese varieties are most often used.

Many Russian varieties are not inferior to Italian ones in taste, but they will have time to ripen in our cool climate. If you want to grow tomatoes suitable for drying, when purchasing seeds, take into account the following characteristics of the fruit:

• high content of dry matter and sugars;
• density;
• meatiness.

Examples of varieties that are ideal for drying include the following plum or pepper varieties:

• De Barao (black varieties are especially tasty);
• Scarlet Mustang;
• Moscow delicacy;
• Pepper-shaped;
• Italian spaghetti;
• Bell;
• Roma;
• Caspar F1;
• Shuttle;
• Khokhloma;
• Uncle Styopa;
• Chio-chio-san;
• Octopus Cream;
• Slav.

Orange-yellow varieties of tomatoes are also good as sun-dried:

• Barrel of honey;
• Minusinsk glasses;
• Truffles are colorful.

They have increased sugar content, their taste is a bit like melon.

The so-called hollow varieties of tomatoes, which are traditionally used for stuffing, are also great for drying:

• Bourgeois filling;
• Figs pink;
• Firewood;
• Illusion;
• Sierra Leone;
• Yellow Stuffer (yellow hollow);
• Striped Stuffer (striped hollow);
• Bulgaria (Crown);
• Yellow Bell Pepper (yellow bell pepper).

List of required ingredients

The first and main thing you will need for drying is the tomatoes themselves. They should be fully ripe, but not overripe, dense. To calculate the amount of fruit needed for cooking, keep in mind that they lose a lot in volume and weight. So, from 15–20 kg of fresh tomatoes you will get only 1–2 kg of dried (dried) fruits.

To make sun-dried tomatoes, you will need more salt. It is necessary to remove excess liquid from the fruit before and during drying. Its use is mandatory when naturally drying tomatoes in the sun. In other cases, it is added as desired.

To soften the acidity of tomatoes that do not gain real sweetness in our northern latitudes, sugar is used; brown will give the tomatoes a piquant flavor.

When drying tomatoes, they most often take a traditional set of herbs from Italian cuisine:

• thyme,
• oregano,
• rosemary,
• marjoram,
• basil,
• savory.

You can also use any other aromatic herbs and spices you wish:

• celery,
• coriander,
• cumin,
• cardamom,
• black pepper and chili,
• ginger,
• barabaris,
• caraway,
• khmeli-suneli,
• garlic.

If you use spices in dry form, they can be ground into powder, mixed with salt and used to sprinkle on tomatoes before drying. When using fresh spices, they must first be poured with vegetable oil, infused in it, and only then mixed with tomatoes.

It is best to choose refined oil, preferably olive. However, high-quality sunflower, corn, or grape seed are also suitable.

The main thing, perhaps, is to choose a method for drying tomatoes.The drying itself can take place both in the open air, in the sun (the cheapest, but also the longest process), and with the help of a variety of kitchen appliances: oven, electric dryer, microwave oven, convection oven, multicooker. Usually you choose the unit that is available. The features of making sun-dried tomatoes in each of them will be described in detail below.

Sun-dried tomatoes in the oven: recipe with photos

The oven, gas or electric, is the most popular place for drying tomatoes.

It’s good if you have a convection oven that can maintain a temperature of 40–60 °C, otherwise you won’t end up with classic sun-dried tomatoes, but rather baked ones. In any case, they will be very tasty.

The method of cutting tomatoes depends on their size. Small and medium-sized tomatoes are usually cut into two halves, sometimes into quarters. It is better to cut larger fruits crosswise into slices about 6–8 mm thick.

There is a lot of controversy about whether it is necessary to cut out the core and seeds from tomatoes before drying. It is in this that the maximum amount of liquid is concentrated, and without it the tomatoes will cook much faster. But seeds often add an additional piquant taste to the finished dish. So it's up to you to choose. Keep in mind that removing the core from chopped tomatoes will also take you quite a lot of time and effort, but the drying process itself will go about twice as fast.

Place the cut tomatoes, open side up, on baking sheets or racks. The latter can be covered with baking paper to make it easier to remove the finished fruits.After placement, the tomatoes are sprinkled with a mixture of salt and sugar, to which crushed dry spices are often added. The ratio of salt, sugar and ground black pepper is 3:5:3. The amount of spices used is regulated solely by your taste.

The cooking time for sun-dried tomatoes depends solely on the capabilities of the oven and your own choice.

• A long, but gentle method (preserving all useful substances) would be to heat the oven to 50–60 °C and dry the tomatoes for 15–20 hours.
• If the minimum temperature in the oven is 100–120 °C, then for many this is the optimal mode, since tomatoes can wilt in 4–5 hours.
• At a higher temperature, drying takes literally a couple of hours, but you need to watch the tomatoes more carefully: they can easily burn, and the beneficial substances evaporate at the same speed.

When selecting any drying mode, the oven door should always be slightly open for ventilation.

In addition, if you are drying tomatoes for the first time, you need to constantly monitor the process and check the condition of the fruit almost every hour. Since it is impossible to specify the exact drying time, you should focus on the condition of the dried fruits. The tomatoes should wrinkle and become darker. But it is also not recommended to reduce them to the state of chips. They should remain slightly elastic, bend well, but not break.

To increase the quantity of sun-dried tomatoes, you can use as many trays and racks as you have in your kitchen.But keep in mind that if you increase the number of simultaneous loads, drying time can also increase by 30-40%.

The presence of a convection mode in the oven allows you to reduce the cooking time of sun-dried tomatoes by 40–50%.

How to cook sun-dried tomatoes in the microwave

In the microwave, sun-dried tomatoes are baked, not sun-dried, but this method is unmatched in speed. Use it if you are short on time.

It is better to take small tomatoes for drying; cherry and cocktail varieties are perfect.

The fruits are cut into two parts, the middle is removed with a spoon or knife. Place the halves on a flat plate, sprinkle with oil, add a little salt and pepper and add a little sugar, as well as seasonings as desired. Place in the oven at maximum temperature for 5–7 minutes.

Then open the door, release the steam, drain the resulting liquid and let the tomatoes stand for about 15 minutes. Then put it back in the oven for 5 minutes, after which it is left to stand in the microwave with the mode off for about 10 minutes. This procedure should be repeated 3-4 times, each time checking the tomatoes for readiness so that they do not dry out.

Tomatoes dried in a slow cooker

To prepare sun-dried tomatoes in a multicooker, you must use the “baking” mode. The preparation of fruits is similar to that done for drying in the oven.

It is better to combine all the components in advance and sprinkle them on the arranged pieces of tomatoes.

The tomatoes are laid out both on the bottom of the multicooker, previously covered with baking paper, and in a container for steaming dishes (to increase the yield of the finished product). After sprinkling with spices, all the tomato pieces are sprinkled with a small amount of olive oil. You can apply it with a brush.

Cooking sun-dried tomatoes in a slow cooker at about 100 °C takes about three hours. This is usually sufficient for drying small fruits. Large tomatoes will require more time - 5-7 hours. If your slow cooker model has a valve, remove it to allow moisture to escape.

How to dry tomatoes in an air fryer

You can get a pretty good version of sun-dried tomatoes in an air fryer. The fruits are selected and prepared in the same way as in previous recipes. They are drying

• or at a temperature of 90-95 °C from 3 to 6 hours;
• or first 2 hours at a temperature of 180 °C, and then the tomato pieces are turned over and dried for another 1-2 hours at 120 °C.

The airflow turns on strong.

It is advisable to lay baking paper on the grates so that the finished tomato pieces do not fall through the bars and stick to them.

Sun-dried tomatoes in a vegetable dehydrator

The experience of many housewives shows that the best results when making sun-dried tomatoes can be achieved using electric vegetable dryers, especially those called dehydrators. They do not require rearranging the trays during the drying process, since the airflow is uniform.The dehydrator can cook a significant amount of sun-dried tomatoes at one time. Since the temperature regime in it usually starts at 35 °C, fruits can be dried under very gentle conditions while preserving all useful substances.

Drying time for tomatoes at a temperature of 40–50 °C is about 12–15 hours, at a temperature of 70–80 °C – 6–8 hours. In such conditions, it is almost impossible for tomatoes to burn, and after the first portion, the process can be started automatically, without controlling it and without worrying about the result obtained.

How to dry tomatoes in the sun

The best and most delicious sun-dried tomatoes are obtained as a result of exposure to the sun, but this method takes a long time and is only suitable for southern regions with an abundance of hot and sunny days. If the weather forecast promises a temperature of at least +32–34 °C for the next week, then you can try.

You will need trays or baking sheets that are covered with paper. The processed quarters or halves of tomatoes are laid out on them in the usual way. In this case, it is advisable to remove the pulp.

Place the trays with tomatoes in the sun, be sure to cover the top with gauze from insects. In the evening, before sunset, the pallets are removed into a room or greenhouse to maintain temperature conditions. In the morning they are placed again in the same place. It is advisable to turn the tomatoes at least once during the day, but you don’t have to do this.

Tomatoes can be ready in 6-8 days and are best stored in regular paper or cloth bags or glass or clay containers with lids.

If you have a greenhouse and free space in it, the drying process is somewhat simplified, since the tomatoes do not need to be brought indoors at night, but only close all the doors and vents.

Recipe for sun-dried tomatoes in oil

An interesting taste is obtained from the finished dish if the tomatoes are lightly marinated in an oil solution before drying.

Prepare

• 0.5 kg of tomatoes;
• a few tablespoons of olive oil;
• sprigs of fresh basil, rosemary and thyme;
• salt, sugar, pepper to taste.

The tomatoes are washed, scalded with boiling water, the skin is removed and cut into halves, at the same time removing the seeds with excess juice from the middle.

Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl, adding oil, herbs and spices. In this form they are kept for about an hour. Then they are laid out on a baking sheet, on baking paper, and the remaining herbs are placed on top.

The oven is turned on at 180 °C for 20–30 minutes, then the temperature is reduced to 90–100 °C, and the tomatoes are left with the door ajar for several hours. After 4 hours of drying, all moisture, as a rule, evaporates. If you need softer fruits, the drying time can be reduced.

Tomatoes dried with basil for the winter

There is also the option of not just soaking, but cooking sun-dried tomatoes in oil. This recipe can hardly be called traditional, and it will require a significant amount of oil. The tomatoes are prepared in the usual way and placed close to each other in a baking tray with high sides.

1. Take a bunch of fresh basil (it is better to use a mixture of several varieties), three cloves of garlic and peppercorns.
2. Just before cooking, chop everything thoroughly, mix and sprinkle the resulting mixture over the tomatoes.
3. Finally, the vegetables are poured with olive (or other) oil so that they are ¾ covered.
4. The oven is heated to 180-190 °C, and the baking sheet is placed in it for 3-4 hours.
5. If the oil level decreases, it must be gradually added.

Then place the tomato pieces in sterile jars, pour in the same oil and roll up. This snack can be stored all winter without refrigeration.

Recipe for sun-dried tomatoes with garlic and spices

Prepare the tomatoes for drying in the usual way and separately make a mixture of various spices, peppers, salt and sugar. Cut 3-4 cloves of garlic into thin slices crosswise.

Place a piece of garlic in each half of tomatoes and sprinkle with a mixture of spices. Arrange the vegetables fairly tightly on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 90–110 °C for 3–4 hours.

To preserve ready-made tomatoes for the winter, you can use the following recipe. Prepare small jars with a volume of 300 to 700 g. Sterilize them, put a few peas of black and white pepper, mustard, rosemary sprigs on the bottom and fill them tightly with dried tomatoes, sprinkling with additional spices if desired. At the last moment, pour in heated but not boiling oil and seal the jars.

Sun-dried tomatoes with balsamic vinegar

So that your preparation with sun-dried tomatoes in oil can be stored under normal room conditions and acquire additional piquant flavors, you can use balsamic vinegar when pouring. Its taste goes well with tomatoes and herbs.

A 0.7 liter jar will require about two tablespoons. After all the prepared tomatoes with spices are tightly packed into the jars, pour balsamic vinegar on top and fill the remaining space with oil.

15–20 minutes before the end of drying the tomatoes, the oil with herbs can be placed in the oven (at a temperature of about 100 °C) to warm up. In this case, your preparation with sun-dried tomatoes in oil will be stored even without a refrigerator. Keep in mind that 5 kg of fresh tomatoes usually yields one 700 g jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil.

Dishes with sun-dried tomatoes: recipes with photos

The most common dishes with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes are various pastas and salads.

Pasta recipe with sun-dried tomatoes

For 200 g of boiled spaghetti (pasta), take 50 g of sun-dried tomatoes, a clove of garlic, 2 young onions with herbs, 50 g of Adyghe cheese, a sprig of parsley, salt, black pepper to taste and a little olive oil.

Boil the spaghetti, at the same time heat the oil in a frying pan, add chopped garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, then onions and cheese. Fry for a few minutes, add parsley and finally boiled spaghetti. Stir for a few minutes and garnish with a sprig of herbs.

Salad with avocado and sun-dried tomatoes

To prepare this tasty and healthy dish, take 150 g of salad leaves (arugula, lettuce) and sun-dried tomatoes, 1 avocado, half a lemon, 60 g of cheese and spices to your taste.

Place lettuce leaves on a dish, add diced avocado and pieces of sun-dried tomatoes, divided into pieces. Sprinkle it all with spices and cheese, sprinkle with lemon juice and the oil in which the tomatoes were stored.

How to store sun-dried tomatoes at home

Naturally sun-dried tomatoes are best stored dry in fabric bags in a cool place. In the same way, tomatoes dried to an almost brittle state using other kitchen units can be stored well. You can use glass jars with vacuum lids for storage.

A popular way to preserve sun-dried tomatoes is in oil. It was described in detail above. If the oil has been preheated well, then the workpiece can be stored without a refrigerator. If you use fresh garlic and fresh herbs, it is better to play it safe and store jars of sun-dried tomatoes in the refrigerator or cellar.

The easiest way to use sun-dried tomatoes in dishes is to soak them in water overnight.

Conclusion

Sun-dried tomatoes are just gaining popularity. Perhaps, over time, this dish will turn into preparation No. 1 from tomatoes, since it combines a delicious taste and versatility of use, and also retains all the beneficial properties of vegetables.

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