Sun-dried cherry tomatoes are a delicacy, very appetizing, to use for any recipe from appetizers to main courses. They are good and fragrant to store and use this winter, trapped inside a jar with all the scent of summer.
These organic tomatoes, picked from my father’s garden, are very sweet and tempting that one follows the other, excellent also to put in oil using this procedure here!
Take advantage of the summer sun to dry them, if very strong, just two days are enough, in any case, they can also be dried in the oven at 158°F until they lose their water and dehydrate.
The tomatoes must be dry but soft, they should not be hard.
For recipes using dried tomatoes click here!
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- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Other
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients for Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes
- as needed cherry tomatoes
- as needed salt
Tools
- Baking Sheet
Preparation for Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes
Cut the tomatoes in half and then place them skin side down on one or more baking sheets lined with absorbent paper and sprinkled with a little salt. Once the baking sheets are filled, sprinkle abundant fine salt on the tomatoes to prevent them from getting moldy.
Once ready, place the baking sheets in full sun, it must exceed 95°F, cover with a perforated cloth so that insects or wind-blown leaves and other debris do not settle on them.
In the evening, bring them inside to avoid night moisture.The next morning, always put them back in the sun. You will notice the tomato changes color slightly as it begins to dehydrate, and the dissolved salt with the pulp creates a little water.
Continue this process until the tomatoes are nice and dry and soft.
Once dried, the tomatoes shrink and change color. They can be stored this way in a paper bag and used when needed, but they should be washed and rinsed well.I preferred to wash them well first and store them in cleaned jars ready to use.
For washing, rinse the tomatoes well under running water.Then boil a little water with vinegar in a saucepan, immerse the tomatoes, leave them for about a minute, drain them, and let them dry again in the sun, covered with a clean cloth. You can also use the home oven if preferred.
After drying, put the tomatoes in glass jars and store in the fridge until needed.
You can also use them to put them in oil with herbs, they are really good.
ADVICE AND VARIATIONS
An alternative is to dry the tomatoes in the oven or with a dehydrator. Obviously, the flavor and final result might vary compared to sun drying. In any case, to make them in the oven, cut them in half lengthwise, place them on a baking tray, and sprinkle with salt.
Then let them dry at 212-248°F for about 5-7 hours, or at 158°F for more hours.
The dehydrator works at lower temperatures, thus preserving much of the flavor, but it takes over 15 hours.
Here are some RECIPES WITH DRIED TOMATOES to absolutely try!
ALSO READ DRIED TOMATOES IN OIL
