Made my own "sun dried" tomatoes yesterday and they turned out pretty good and.. its really easy!
You need:
20 or so tomatoes (i used plum)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leafed parsley
Course or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Trim the stem ends off the toms, quarter or half them (depending on size), remove and discard seeds. Place in large non-metallic Bowl and add the olive oil, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover the bowl and marinate in the fridge for 3 hours.
Heat oven to 200F (95c)
Place toms in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet
Bake for 12-14 hours, I put them in the oven at 7pm and let them bake overnight.
The next morning you will have plump, juicy, tasty sun dried tomatoes!
Cool completely before storing.
To Store: in sterilized jars and covered in olive oil. Or in ziplock bags in the freezer (last for 3months).
Am going to do some more with chilli peppers! Need to use them up somehow!
Sounds like a yummy way of doing them.
I did a batch at the weekend. My way was halved a load of plum toms. Place them on a cooling rack and sprinkle each half with a little sea salt. Place in the oven at about 50' (I used the fan as it did the job nicely) for 6 or so hours. Remove the plump, sweet, not dry, but dry :-\ toms from the rack, put into sterile jar, fill with oil and seal. My book says they will keep for 6 months, but I am sure they will last longer.....however, I have used lots already! They are delish smeared over toast!!
I recently bought a dehydrator, and found that it's brilliant. I have dried tomatoes in the oven, but one of the drawbacks for me was that when the weather is so hot, it can get unbearable in the kitchen. With the dehydrator, I can plug it in and put it outside to do the work. It's a bit more energy efficient as well. And I can use the oven for other things if I need to. I did try doing a Heath Robinson thing with tin foil and a cardboard box in the sun but gave up.
Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on September 07, 2005, 23:08:28
Sounds like a yummy way of doing them.
I did a batch at the weekend. My way was halved a load of plum toms. Place them on a cooling rack and sprinkle each half with a little sea salt. Place in the oven at about 50' (I used the fan as it did the job nicely) for 6 or so hours. Remove the plump, sweet, not dry, but dry :-\ toms from the rack, put into sterile jar, fill with oil and seal. My book says they will keep for 6 months, but I am sure they will last longer.....however, I have used lots already! They are delish smeared over toast!!
EJ, are you on Celcius?
Aussie, my darling Ava tells me we use fahrenheit. ;D
EJ, might be worth double checking with Ava 'cos if fan oven and 50 degrees, surely Celsius? Did fan ovens exist in fahrenheit days?
Tut, now he says he doesn't know!
Well I don't know....all I know is it starts at 50 and goes up to 250. I have fan, fan and top heat, fan and bottom heat, no fan, just fan, windmill, uncle tom cobbly, grill, and still I manange to burn things! Hate my cooker....want gas...love gas....hate electric.....want my old range cooker back..... :'(
Yup Celsius otherwise you'd be going beyond 400.
Know what you mean about missing your range, hating electric and LOVING gas. I'm in the same boat. Sold last house and at last minute buyers insisted we left my dual fuel, double oven all singing, all dancing range cooker behind. New house contained the cheapest, nastiest MFI electric hob and diddy single oven (albeit fan) and I'm going spare! :'( too!
I have Celsius, made some yesterday, at 50 degrees for 6 hours, they taste beautiful!! still a bit juicy, so delic. I've got half a jar full ( didn't want to ruin them all), so I'll get filling that jar now. Yumo. thanks for telling me how to do it.
Never tried before, but may give it a go tomorrow, only working in the morning cos late shift tonight (evening classes), will have all afternoon to leave them on the lowest gas setting ...
My daughter will be thrilled, cos she adores sun dried tomatoes ...
Derekthefox :D
Its worth a try they are truly scrummy!!
thanks AC never thought about making my own , love sun dried toms will print off recipe and have ago cheers
I have abundance of cherry toms - shall I leave them whole or so they need to be cut due to moisture inside tomato?? Can't wait ;D
I think Emma and Redman both had Plum tomatoes, I read it that Redman took the seeds out, Emma left them in.
I also used Plum, quartered but left the seeds in. ( thought cherry might be too small?)I checked them after four hours and the smaller ones were already dried, I left the bigger ones about 6 hours. I reckon you could leave the seeds in and see how it goes. if they still look too juicy, take seeds out and put them back in the oven for longer.
See how you get on. I'm sure they will be delicious either way.
I have now done some cherry, cutting them in half, and leaving them for only a few hours. Wonderful! I prefer mine 'squidy' so more like sunblushed than sundried. They are gorgeous spread on hot toast then a slice of mozzerella and a couple of basil leaves!
ONE WARNING - one of my books says store in the fridge and use with 6 months, another says store in a dry place the same as any other preserve. I don't suppose mine will last 6months, but I don't want the blame if anyones go mouldy!
help
am using a gas oven and don't know how to work out temp etc from electric.
What gas mark and for how long?
Number 1 or 2 for 4 or 5 hours..... :-\
Thanks EJ
Will give it a go, watch out Oxfordshire Fire Service, I've got the oven on again!
Quote from: madmum on September 13, 2005, 20:07:00
help
am using a gas oven and don't know how to work out temp etc from electric.
What gas mark and for how long?
http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking_gasmark.htm
:)
moonbells
thanks moonbells :)