Well, what can I say? I’ve long suspected that untimeliness is my middle name. Just as sun dried tomatoes vanished from supermarket shelves due to well-known events (or became prohibitively expensive), I discovered their existence along with a thousand and one insanely delicious recipes featuring them.
Fortunately, it turns out this foreign delicacy can be made at home without much effort. If it’s not the season now (untimeliness, eh?:)), summer is the perfect time to dry them in batches and even try preserving them for winter. Trying—because they’re so delicious, I’m not sure how many I’ll need to make to have any left by winter!
Homemade Sun Dried Tomatoes Ingredients
- Small tomatoes
- Coarse salt, to taste
- Dried rosemary, to taste
- Dried marjoram, to taste
- Dried thyme, to taste
- Fresh herbs (same as above), to taste
- Garlic, to taste
- Hot pepper (optional), to taste
- Olive oil (optional)
Prepare
Step 1 Take small tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are best, but varieties like “plum” work well too. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and others into several pieces. Scoop out the pulp and seeds—we won’t need them here.
Step 2 Lightly grease a baking tray with olive oil. Place the tomatoes on it, cut side up. Sprinkle with coarse salt, dried rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. Press a few cloves of garlic through a garlic press and place on the tomatoes. Add a few sprigs of fresh herbs—the same ones. I only had rosemary, which works fine.
Step 3 Place the tray in an oven preheated to 130°C, and bake for 3 hours. The time is approximate, depending on the oven and the size of the tomato slices.
Put the finished tomatoes in a clean, dry jar. Add a sprig of rosemary, optionally a small hot pepper pod, pour olive oil, and close the lid tightly.
Here we are, with our homemade sun dried tomatoes!
A note: sun-dried tomatoes will shrink significantly. I had a large tray of raw ones, and ended up with less than a cup. But that’s why they’re a delicacy! That’s all for now, stay tuned!