How to make your own ‘sun-dried’ tomatoes … kitchen helper
Did you know you can make your own sundried tomatoes in the oven? Well strictly, speaking, they aren’t sun-dried, but they are incredibly flavourful, useful and considerably cheaper than those you buy in the supermarket – yes, even from Hill Street! Read on to find out more.
While summer is still here and the tomatoes are cheap and bountiful, make a batch or two of these very easy and cost-effective ‘sun-dried’ tomatoes. They’re lovely to use at home in salads, pasta sauces, on top of pizzas, on an antipasto platter, in a sandwich… the list goes on. They also make a nice gift.
Method:
1. Prepare your tomatoes – grape or cherry tomatoes are great for this as they are so sweet and dry out faster. You can use large Roma tomatoes too but do hollow out the pulp first. Whichever tomatoes you use – cut them in half lengthwise.
2. Spread them out in one layer on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, cut-side up. Don’t crowd them or they will stew rather than dry.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Slow roast at 120C for 2.5 to 3.5 hours or until they reach your desired level of dryness. Keep an eye on them towards the end of the time to make sure they don’t burn.
5. In the last hour of drying you can, if you like, sprinkle them fresh chopped rosemary, oregano or thyme, or crushed chili flakes.
6. When cool, store, in a jar in olive oil, and add a bay leaf and a couple of peeled whole cloves of garlic.
Tomatoes dried this way can keep for four days in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer. Freeze by spreading them out on a baking sheet, then put them in a freezer bag once frozen.
