Three Recipes for Dried Tomatoes

dried tomatoes

Now is the perfect time to think about drying and preserving your gardening season bounty! Get the ball rolling with these recipes for dried tomatoes.

The following recipes are from Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning by the Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante. They have been adapted for the web.


Tomatoes Dried Naturally

  • Tomatoes
  • Almond oil (or another mild oil)
  • A clean rag
  • Drying apparatus
  • A glass jar

dried tomatoesTomatoes are by far the vegetable most often preserved by drying in various forms. We prefer to use the ‘Beefsteak’ variety, a pulpy tomato with fewer seeds.

Peel the tomatoes. (If this poses a problem, soak them for a few seconds in boiling water.) Cut them lengthwise (from bottom to top) into slices approximately 1/4-inch thick and remove the seeds.

Place the slices on a clean rag to absorb the juice. Oil the dryer screen lightly, preferably with mild almond oil, so that the slices will not stick. When the slices are dry on one side, turn them over; they will be hard when dry. Store the tomatoes well packed in a glass jar.

To use, pour one cup of boiling water over one-half to three-quarter ounces of dried tomatoes per person, and leave them to soften for a few minutes. Add a teaspoon of olive oil, season to your tate, and serve with a purée or a grain dish. We also add these tomatoes to grains or vegetables that are nearly done cooking.

Odile Angeard, Cognin


Stuffed Dried Tomatoes in Oil

  • Tomatoes
  • Parsley
  • Garlic
  • Anchovy fillets (optional)
  • Fresh basil leaves (optional)
  • Oil
  • Drying apparatus
  • A glass jar

I dry my tomatoes in a solar dryer, cut in half and seeded (easily done with a small spoon). When the tomatoes are dry, stuff a little finely chopped parsley and garlic between the two halves.

If you like, add an anchovy fillet, or a basil leaf. Place the reassembled tomatoes in a jar and cover with oil. These are delicious added to a salad during winter.

Anonymous


Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Oil

Variation 1:

  • 4 lbs. tomatoes
  • 1 lb. coarse salt
  • Oil
  • Drying apparatus
  • Gauze
  • A clean, dry cloth
  • Glass jars

dried tomatoesChoose very ripe, small, oblong tomatoes. The Italian variety “Principe Borghese’ is an excellent drier, as are many smaller plum or “paste” tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes in half, place them on a tray set in the sun, add salt, and cover with gauze to protect from insects. During the day, turn the tomatoes over twice; at night, bring them inside to protect from moisture.

A few days later, when you see that they are very dry but not totally dehydrated, remove some of the salt with a clean, dry cloth.

Put the tomatoes into jars and cover them with approximately three-quarters of an inch of oil over the tomatoes, coming up to three-eights of an inch below the rim.

Close the jars tightly and store them in a cool place. In Italy, tomatoes preserved in this manner are eaten as hors d’oeuvres, with no additional preparation.

Marie-Christine Martinot-Aronica, St. Dizier

Variation 2:

  • Tomatoes
  • Vinegar
  • Hot peppers, mint leaves, or whole garlic cloves (optional)
  • Oil
  • Drying apparatus
  • A glass jar

Choose tomatoes that are firm and completely intact, preferably plum tomatoes. Cut them in half lengthwise. Allow them to dry on trays in the sun, bringing them in whenever it is humid, and in at night to avoid dampness. When they are dry, soak the tomatoes in warm vinegar for twenty minutes.

Drain and put them in a jar, alternating layers of tomatoes with one or two hot peppers, mint leaves, or whole cloves of garlic. Press well to allow any air to escape, and then cover with oil. These tomatoes will keep for a very long time. We eat them as hors d’oeuvres or with rice, pasta, meat, or fish.

Babette Cezza, Vergt


Recommended Reads

Preserving Vegetables in Salt: Whole Tomatoes

4 Dried Tomato Recipes to Enjoy the Harvest Year Round

 

Read The Book

Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning

Traditional Techniques Using Salt, Oil, Sugar, Alcohol, Vinegar, Drying, Cold Storage, and Lactic Fermentation

$25

Enter your email to sign up for our newsletter and save 25% on your next order

Recent Articles

The Best Types of Apples for Cider in North America

If you’re a fan of cider, you know that the type of apple used can make or break the flavor. And with all the different brands of cider out there, many kinds of apples from across the world are being utilized to create it. In his new book Cider Planet, author and renowned cider maker…

Read More
acorn harvesting

Move Over Squirrels, It’s Acorn Harvesting Time!

These small fruits are a delicious source of nutrients that you can find almost anywhere. Get started on acorn harvesting with help from these simple tips!

Read More
pumpkin seeds

Tasty Ways to Use Pumpkin Seeds

Wondering what to do with pumpkin seeds? Instead of roasting them, try these alternative ways to prepare & use seeds! Plus a must-try pumpkin granola recipe.

Read More

10 Fascinating Fig Facts

Have you ever wondered why fig trees are considered a symbol of abundance and fertility across cultures? What exactly makes these trees so special?

Read More
seed detective

Seed as a Common Resource: Crops and the People Who Nurture Them

Seeds strengthen our connections to what we grow and eat; they are intrinsic to our identity and our future. I cherish seed as a common resource that all the world should be able to access freely.

Read More