Italian cuisine is famous not only for pizza and pasta. One of the amazing dishes that could only be born in this sunny country are sun-dried tomatoes. Of course, the Italians themselves make them outdoors on a sunny summer day. But in Russia it is difficult to create such conditions. And many, not knowing how to dry tomatoes at home, buy ready-made jars in the store. Only they are very expensive. But to make such a blank is very simple in the most ordinary kitchen.
For one small jar of sun-dried tomato, you need to take 1-1.5 kg of fresh. Small fruits are best suited (“plum” variety or the like). Just do not use too sweet, otherwise you get dessert instead of snacks. Depending on size, cut into 2 or 4 parts. If desired, remove seeds, drain excess juice. This will reduce cooking time. Put close to each other on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and greased with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and dry herbs on top (basil, oregano, thyme and dill are best). Add chopped garlic cloves. Put in the oven, heated to 100-130 degrees, and cook a snack for 4-5 hours, leaving the door ajar. Once all the liquid has evaporated, put in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, shifting layers with dry herbs and garlic. Pour olive oil over everything. This is the easiest but lasting way to dry tomatoes at home.
True, in the heat, when you do not even want to move, it is difficult to spend several hours in the kitchen with the stove turned on. Here in such cases, a recipe for how to make
dried tomatoes in the microwave can help out
. Only with its help you can do quite a bit. We prepare the fruits in the same way as for the oven. Spread them tightly on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and herbs, sprinkle with olive oil. We set for 5 minutes at maximum power in the microwave. We give rest 10 minutes. We take out, pour out the allocated juice in a cup. And again we send in the microwave, already for 3 minutes. Then we leave it for 3 minutes, drain the juice and repeat the procedure again. After that, put them in a jar, shifting the layers with chopped garlic and herbs. Pour the collected juice with oil. Let us brew in the refrigerator for 12 hours. You can try.
Knowing how to dry tomatoes in the oven and microwave, you can experiment a little with pouring and make them without a peel (for those who do not like it). First you need to prepare aromatic oil, with which
tomatoes will be
preserved. To do this, slightly warm it on the stove and add aromatic herbs (basil, oregano and thyme), hot and allspice and garlic to it. Let it brew for 2-3 days. Then remove all seasonings so that the aromatic oil does not deteriorate. Now you need to prepare the fruits. To do this, cut them crosswise, dip them in hot water for a couple of minutes and remove the skin. For the rest, this recipe for how to dry tomatoes completely repeats the others. These tricks simply allow you to make them more fragrant and delicate.
But you need not only to know how to dry tomatoes properly, but also how to store them. Only glass jars with tight-fitting lids are suitable for this. It is advisable to eat sun-dried tomatoes for 2 weeks. If long-term storage is supposed, then they need to be filled with hot oil, and banks should be sterile. But even in this case, they should not be kept for more than a year. Although it is unlikely that this delicious snack will last so long.