Tomatoes can not only be pickled and salted, but also dried. Dried tomatoes are added when cooking pizza, cooking soup, they go well with minced meat and poultry meat.
Drying tomatoes is not difficult, but not fast; on average, the process takes several hours. However, the result obtained will more than meet expectations - it turns out an excellent universal preparation for the winter.
Before you get started, you need to clarify a few points on cooking. Suitable for drying:
- Small tomatoes with a diameter of up to 6-7 centimeters.
- The skin of the tomato should be tight.
- The seed chamber does not fall out when cut.
- When cutting, a large amount of juice does not stand out.
- The tomato must be ripe and without visible damage.
The color of the skin does not play any role, you can take tomatoes of any shape and color with dense pulp.
Benefits of dried tomatoes
Dried tomatoes contain the same mineral composition, as in fresh fruits: iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium. The pulp consists of organic acids, contains a large amount of antioxidants.
Use dried vegetables promotes easy cleansing of the intestines and the removal of toxins from the body. Tomatoes contain compounds that neutralize free radicals, which means that tomatoes are an excellent tool for the prevention of cancer. Tomatoes normalize chemical composition blood, increase hemoglobin, remove light inflammatory processes. The use of dried fruits helps to strengthen the immune capacity of the body.
Drying preparation
After picking tomatoes, choose fruits that meet the above characteristics. Then they are thoroughly washed and allowed to dry on a towel. The stalk is cut out of the fruit with a sharp knife. Now the tomatoes need to be cut into small circles with a thickness of at least 0.5 centimeters.
Attention!
Chopped plastics of tomatoes should never be salted. The ingress of salt leads to the release of juice, the tomatoes will "float".
How to dry tomatoes at home
Temperature is an essential factor for drying. It is not necessary to use kitchen appliances; in its absence, the workpiece can be made right at home or in the country. The drying room should be well lit, ventilated and warm. You can put the fruits on the windowsill, the table where the light source falls.
They lay a piece of paper, an old newspaper on a large surface and lay out sliced \u200b\u200btomatoes on it. Leave the tomatoes for 7-10 days, periodically turn them over so that they do not stale, and change the wet newspaper to dry. In the first 2-3 days, most of the moisture from the fruit will be removed, in the remaining time the pulp itself shrinks. home method although it is the simplest, on the other hand it is long - it takes several days for the tomatoes to dry. Therefore, if there is no time to wait, then an oven or an electric dryer is suitable for making dried fruits.
Outdoors
The method is similar to drying at home, however, if the weather is sunny outside, the tomatoes will dry out in 5-6 days. Drying is carried out in a well-lit place. Lay out the tomatoes in one row on a dry cloth or paper sheet and leave for 4-6 days. Periodically turn the slices every 2 days. In no case should moisture be allowed to get on the dried tomato - it will quickly deteriorate. If it starts to rain outside, then the fruits are brought home or covered with a waterproof film on top.
In conditions of high humidity and in cloudy weather, it is better to refrain from outdoor drying.
In the oven
For taste, you can add greens, garlic and a little oil to the fruits. Such a preparation will not be fresh and is perfect for other dishes.
Ingredients:
- kg of tomatoes;
- 2-3 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tbsp olive oil.
The whole process takes from 3 to 8 hours. The time depends on the intensity of the heating of the oven, as well as on the power and on the type. Tomatoes dry faster in an electric oven than in a gas oven.
Sliced tomatoes are placed in a bowl, poured with oil and squeezed garlic on top. Mix the contents well and drain the separated juice.
For drying, parchment paper folded in 2-3 layers is placed on a baking sheet. Medium weight parchment will do, it should not stick to the baking sheet. Tomatoes are laid on parchment in one row so that their sides do not touch each other. Turn on the heating to a temperature of 80-100 degrees and put the baking sheet in the cabinet. At the same time, the sash is not completely closed.
An hour after drying, the door is slightly opened and the condition of the fruit is assessed. If the skin darkens and the flesh begins to fry, you need to reduce the heat or open the sash more. 3 hours after drying, the size of the tomatoes will decrease by about 2 times. Leave the fruits for another hour, then cool and store.
In an electric dryer
The household appliance is designed specifically for harvesting berries and vegetables; it is ideal for drying tomato fruits. Add to tomatoes for spiciness spicy pepper chili or black pepper.
- tomatoes -1 kg;
- 1 tbsp vegetable oils;
- 1 tbsp fresh greens;
- ½ tsp ground red pepper.
In a deep cup, mix tomato slices with butter, sprinkle red pepper and chopped greens on them, let stand for half an hour.
Circles of tomatoes in spices are placed in the bowl, then the appliance is plugged into the network and the fruits are dried for at least 2 hours. Readiness is checked, if the vegetables are already sufficiently dried, the heat is turned off, and the fruits are allowed to cool.
Attention!
The cooking speed depends on the power of the electric dryer. The average time is from one to three.
in the microwave
A microwave can be used, however, since tomatoes contain a lot of water, it is likely that the pulp will splatter. To prevent this from happening, you need to choose a power of 600-800 watts.
Ingredients:
- 0.5-0.8 kg of tomatoes;
- 1 tsp any vegetable seasoning;
- a pinch of black pepper;
- 1 tbsp olive oil;
- 1 clove of garlic.
Sliced tomatoes are transferred to a deep container. Garlic is squeezed to them, and then sprinkled with seasoning with pepper. Mix carefully so as not to damage the seed chambers.
Fruits are placed on a heat-resistant plate and put in the oven. Turn on the heating toggle switch and dry for 15-20 minutes. Be sure to control the heating, do not leave the tomatoes unattended. If there is not enough time, you can continue heating for another 10 minutes.
How to determine readiness
You can understand whether tomatoes are ready or not yet by the following signs:
- The color of the finished fruit should be more saturated than fresh.
- The seed chamber and the pulp have hardened, but when pressed, they crumple, they have plasticity.
- The seeds have turned yellow.
- Slices move well from the surface, do not stick.
There is a fine line between dried and overcooked tomatoes. The latter are already becoming too hard, they do not break well, and they can taste bitter and have a burning smell. Dried tomatoes, if you taste them, have a pleasant texture, are easy to chew, and retain their shape.
How to store dried tomatoes
Dried tomatoes are stored under the right conditions for a long time - at least one year. The right conditions mean a low ambient temperature in the range of 10 to 25 degrees, low humidity and no sunlight. The workpiece is stored in a dark closet at home, in a closet, basement, hallway, cellar, pantry.
The most common storage container is a sterilized glass jar. It should be dry, with a tight sealed lid. Dried slices are poured into it, covered with a lid and cleaned in a dark place.
Attention!
You can use plastic and vacuum containers for storage, they do not reduce the shelf life.
Some housewives offer to freeze dried tomatoes, but this method is only suitable if tomatoes are added to cooking in the future. After freezing, their beautiful shape may deteriorate a little.
Dried tomatoes can be served at the table as an independent snack. There is one excellent way to do this. For him you will need:
- 300-400 g dried tomatoes;
- vegetable oil 200-300 ml;
- 3-4 cloves of garlic;
- a pinch of red pepper;
- a pinch of dried herbs.
Tomatoes are put in a clean small jar (capacity 0.3-0.5 l). Squeeze garlic on top of them and sprinkle with pepper and herbs.
Heat the oil in the microwave to room temperature and pour it into a jar. The container is tightly twisted with a lid and put in the refrigerator to be stored. You can try a snack in 2-3 weeks. Before serving, excess oil is collected with a napkin. The tomatoes themselves turn out to be very tasty with a small pleasant point, and they look great on the table.
Dried tomatoes came to us from Italy, it is in this sunny country that it is customary to harvest tomatoes in this way.
The product opens up new culinary possibilities and tastes. Today you can buy it in any supermarket, but it is tastier and much cheaper to dry the tomatoes yourself, especially since it is very easy to do.
Dried Tomatoes - General Cooking Principles
For drying, it is better to choose fleshy varieties of tomatoes, which do not have a lot of juice and seeds. It is important that they are ripe but not overripe. The more fragrant and sweeter fresh tomato, the tastier the preparation will be. That is why it is preferable to use tomatoes grown not in greenhouses, but in gardens under sunbeams. Vegetables should ripen on the bush, and not reach the red state in the process of maturation. Before drying, the tomatoes should be washed well and allowed to dry.
How to dry tomatoes:
Whole;
halves;
Slices;
Circles.
Whole tomatoes will dry the longest, so they are not often cooked in this form. For blanks, you need to choose small fruits, remove the place of attachment of the stalk. If the core is hard and whitish, then it must be cut with a knife. Most often, dried tomatoes are made in slices or rings. They quickly part with moisture, so the drying time is reduced many times over.
Dried tomatoes - all ways of harvesting
Some housewives find the process of drying vegetables laborious. But if you compare it with other harvesting options, for example, conservation, then it is much simpler and faster.
How to dry tomatoes:
In the sun;
In the oven;
In a special dryer.
Not all methods are equally good, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. But in any case, it is important not to overdry the tomatoes so that they do not crumble, but remain dried.
How to dry tomatoes in the sun
Classic way harvesting vegetables and fruits, which is best suited for warm and sunny regions. To prepare dried tomatoes, the fruits are cut into the desired pieces, laid out on baking sheets or boards and sent to fresh air. In the sun, tomatoes can be cooked from 3 to 10 days, depending on its intensity, air humidity and temperature.
The advantage of this method of harvesting dried tomatoes is cheapness and simplicity. You can immediately decompose any number of pieces and then it remains only to assemble the finished product. The disadvantages include the fact that at any time the weather can deteriorate, so you need constant supervision. Also, insects, dust and debris can land on tomatoes during the drying process, and careful processing will be required before use for food.
How to dry tomatoes in the oven
Dried tomatoes cook faster in the oven than in air. For medium slices, 8-10 hours is enough. Tomatoes are cut, laid on baking sheets in one layer and sent for cooking. The optimum temperature is 50-80 °C. Periodically, you need to look at the baking sheets, if necessary, swap them and turn the slices over. If oven there is a ventilation function, it will speed up the process.
The undoubted advantage of this method is the speed of preparation and the purity of the final product. The disadvantages include the fact that drying requires the cost of electricity or gas, as well as the long-term employment of the oven, which may be needed at any time. Also, not all models can maintain the same temperature, especially if they run on gas. Therefore, there is a risk of burning blanks.
Tomatoes in an electric dryer
An electric dryer is a special device for harvesting herbs, vegetables and fruits. It consists of a container in which trays for product placement are placed. Tomato slices are stacked, the dryer is closed with a lid and plugged into the network. Modern dryers are equipped with timers, temperature controllers, automatic shutdown.
The device has many advantages, the products are cooked evenly, remain clean, the dryer does not take up much space, with compact dimensions it can fit a fairly large number of products. The only drawbacks are the purchase of equipment and the cost of electricity.
Dried tomatoes - how to store
Cooking sun-dried tomatoes is only half the battle, it is important to store them properly so that they do not lose their taste and please with a summer aroma at any time. Like other dried foods, when storing dried tomatoes, it is important to protect them from moisture, but also to provide oxygen access or at least occasionally ventilate.
What can you store sun-dried tomatoes in:
In glass jars with screw-on metal or regular plastic lids;
In plastic containers or buckets;
In paper bags, but it is important that there is no high humidity in the room;
In cardboard or wooden boxes, each layer can be lined with paper.
Dry tomatoes are stored for no more than 6-8 months. Some time after laying, it is recommended to check their condition, if necessary, dry in the oven. You can extend the shelf life up to a year by placing the filled container in the freezer.
Italians store dried tomatoes in olive oil. Various national dishes are made on the basis of this preparation, and the fragrant filling acts as a sauce. To do this, the slices are placed in sterile jars, spices, aromatic herbs are added, poured with oil, corked and kept in a cool place. In this form, the product can be stored for up to six months.
Recipe 1: Italian Dried Tomatoes with Butter and Cheese
famous recipe Italian starter based on dried tomatoes. To make it tasty, it is advisable to use high-quality olive oil cold pressed. The bottle should be labeled extra virgin.
Required Ingredients:
Dried tomatoes 30 slices;
Parmesan cheese 15 slices;
Basil 15 leaves;
Olive oil for pouring.
Cooking method
Wash the basil well and pat dry. A piece of cheese, a leaf of basil is placed on each slice of tomato and everything is covered with another slice of dried tomato on top. Do the same with the rest of the products. Such peculiar sandwiches neatly fit into glass jar or a container, poured with olive oil and infused for 1-2 days.
The appetizer is used for sandwiches, served with pasta and other national dishes. From the remains of the oil, sauces are prepared, added to pastries, pasta.
Recipe 2: Pork with Dried Tomatoes
Spectacular meat dish with a rich taste of dried tomatoes and garlic. Suitable for any side dishes based on cereals and vegetables. The meat is cooked very quickly, just 10 minutes, the rest will be done by the oven.
Required Ingredients:
4 pieces of pork, as for large chops;
50 gr. dried tomatoes;
3 cloves of garlic;
1 spoon of sour cream;
Salt pepper.
Cooking method
Finely beat off the pork, add salt, pepper. Chop sun-dried tomatoes with garlic. Put a little stuffing on each chop, roll up rolls. For strength, you can fasten with toothpicks. Put the meat in a baking dish, grease with salted sour cream on top and put in the oven. Cook for about an hour at a temperature of 190 ° C. But if the rolls are large, then time can be added.
Recipe 3: Italian Bread with Dried Tomatoes, Rosemary and Green Olives
Recipe fragrant bread, which can be formed in the form of a loaf, loaf or small buns. The amount of ingredients can be slightly deviated, in one direction or another.
Required Ingredients:
200 ml of milk, you can water;
flour 2.5 cups;
1 tsp salt;
10 gr. dry yeast;
2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
0.5 cups of olives;
0.5 cups of olive oil;
50 gr. dried tomatoes;
A pinch of rosemary.
Cooking method
Heat milk or water to a warm state, add sugar, salt, yeast and set aside to dissolve for a few minutes. Sift the flour, pour into the prepared mash, add olive oil, but not all. You need to leave 2 spoons for lubricating the layer and the finished bread. Knead elastic dough. The moisture content of the flour varies, as does the size of the glass, you may need to add a little more. Remove the kneaded dough in a warm place. When it doubles in size, punch it down and let it rise again.
Tomatoes cut into small pieces, olives circles. Roll out the dough into a circle, grease with olive oil, sprinkle with tomatoes, olives, rosemary. Roll up into a roll. You can bake it like this or twist it with a snail. You can also make several small rolls from this amount of dough. Let the formed bread come up when it doubles in size and bake in the oven. Brush hot with olive oil.
Recipe 4: Dried Tomatoes with Chicken Breast
Appetizing and hearty meal, which is cooked on the stove in a frying pan. Can be served with Italian pasta, regular pasta, boiled potatoes or fresh vegetable salads.
Required Ingredients:
Chicken breast 0.7 kg;
Dried tomatoes 0.1 kg;
Oil for frying;
50 gr. flour;
50 gr. olives;
A mixture of aromatic spices.
Cooking method
Soak the tomatoes in advance in cold water 1:1 for 2-3 hours. Chop the chicken breast into strips, coat with flour and quickly fry in a pan for a minute, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. At this time, cut loose tomatoes into cubes, and olives, pour over the chicken, salt, add half a glass of boiling water and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season the dish with fragrant spices, cover and let it brew.
Tomato slices can be sprinkled with spices, chopped herbs, pepper and salt before drying.
If the tomatoes are dry and crumbling, then they can be crushed in a coffee grinder, mixed with pepper, salt and used as a seasoning for any dishes, including ready-made ones.
To dry tomatoes faster, you can cut them into quarters and remove the inner juice with seeds.
To restore the tomatoes, the slices are poured cold water and leave for several hours. You can add a little vinegar, as sun-dried tomatoes have a sweetish taste.
To spice up the tomatoes, you can pour them with water mixed with dry wine in a ratio of 10: 1.
The calorie content of dried tomatoes is about 260 kcal per 100 gr. product. And this is 10 times more than fresh fruit. Therefore, you should not get carried away with a healthy delicacy for people on a diet.
In dried tomatoes, as well as in dried fruits, bugs can start. To prevent this from happening, you can add a few bay leaves or garlic cloves to the jar.
If there are concerns about the quality of drying, then a little salt can be poured into the bottom of the container. Better than coarse grind. It will absorb excess moisture and will not give a single chance of mold.
Dried tomatoes are a wonderful product that opens up new tastes and possibilities in cooking. So why not use them?
Drying is not only one of the economical ways to preserve a rich harvest, but also an opportunity to diversify the diet with delicious original snack. Drying tomatoes at home is not difficult at all.
Drying vegetables is to remove moisture from them under the influence of heat. The result is a product containing more sugars than liquids. When dried, substances previously dissolved in the cells of the fruit are concentrated.
Drying
Dry vegetables without exposure to the sun. The temperature in this case should not be higher than + 80 ° C, otherwise the vegetables may burn. The place for drying tomatoes should be well ventilated so that the moisture from them evaporates easily.
Ideal Humidity finished product- about 10%.
Drying
This is one of the types of drying. With this method useful substances is retained more than with conventional drying. The fact is that in this case the process occurs at a lower temperature - up to +65°C.
Drying is also a process of fermentation, that is, chemical changes in fruit cells under the influence of the sun.
Since in this case the liquid from the tomatoes does not evaporate as quickly as during normal drying, the vegetables are pre-salted. This is especially important in humid climates, otherwise the tomatoes may spoil before they are sufficiently dry.
The benefits of dried tomatoes
When dried at home, tomatoes do not lose their taste and retain their color and smell. In vegetables prepared in this way, useful substances are completely preserved.
Dried Tomatoes:
- supply the body with potassium, which removes excess fluid from the body and has a beneficial effect on the heart;
- contain a large amount of fiber, as well as lemon and malic acid that improves bowel function;
- help the production of serotonin, a hormone involved in regulating mood and sleep, thanks to which they are an antidepressant;
- contain a lot of vitamin C, which promotes cell regeneration;
- restore metabolism, and this slows down the aging process;
- have a positive effect on memory and vision.
The calorie content of dried tomatoes is extremely low, which allows them to be used for preparing dietary dishes.
Microorganisms do not develop in properly dried vegetables, so dried tomatoes are stored for a very long time without losing their healing qualities. Drying, they become light and greatly reduced in size, and therefore take up little space during storage.
The only negative is that dried tomatoes should not be consumed too much. Especially for those people who have problems with the functioning of the liver and pancreas.
Which tomatoes are best for drying
Not all varieties of tomatoes are suitable for drying. Large and very juicy - not good. Red tomatoes are more suitable, since there is more liquid in the fruits of other colors.
Tomatoes are selected for drying:
- ripe;
- dense and fleshy;
- without damage, mold and rot;
- in shape - oblong;
- size - medium or small.
For example, the varieties Cherry, Grapes, Ladyfingers, Cream are well dried. Do not dry overripe tomatoes: they have too much moisture. When processed, overripe tomatoes dry worse and may deteriorate.
The best product comes from fruits grown in open ground. From tomatoes grown in a greenhouse, dried vegetables will not be as tasty and fragrant as those that have ripened under the sun.
In addition, you need to be sure that the tomatoes are grown without nitrates. Therefore, it is better to dry vegetables from your site.
Preparing tomatoes for drying
Before drying the tomatoes, they are pre-prepared. Do this for all drying methods in the same way.
First, the fruits are sorted, separating the spoiled ones. Then it's worth disassembling by size, because large slices will take longer to dry. Smaller ones will dry out earlier, they will need to be immediately stored.
For this reason, it is better to divide the tomatoes according to the degree of maturity. Do not remove the skin from the tomatoes.
For final preparation you need:
- Wash the tomatoes and remove the stem. After drying or gently wipe.
- Cut depending on the size of the fruit or on desire: into halves, quarters or eighths, into circles, into strips or cubes. Pieces should not be thick.
- You can remove the partitions and seeds: this will reduce the time required for drying. But it is not necessary to do so.
- It is advisable to remove excess moisture by briefly spreading the tomato slices on a clean cloth or paper towels cut down.
- Lay the tomatoes cut side up on baking sheets or paper to dry. It is advisable to sprinkle a little salt (no more than 10 grams per 1 kg of tomatoes). Better to use sea salt coarse grind.
Since tomatoes are juicy vegetables, they shrink by about 10 times. That is, from a kilogram of tomatoes, approximately 100 g of dried product will be obtained. But it depends on the variety and the degree of ripeness of the fruit.
Ways to dry tomatoes for the winter
When drying in the oven and electric dryer, herbs are added to the tomatoes: thyme, dill, parsley.
You can take ready Provencal herbs- a mixture of thyme, oregano, rosemary, mint, basil, marjoram, sage and savory. Add garlic to taste. Sometimes ground black pepper. Vegetable oil is also used, always odorless, and ideally olive oil.
Drying tomatoes in the sun
This is natural drying, that is, a person does not affect temperature, light and humidity. This method of drying is not always possible to apply - it is impossible in unstable weather and high humidity.
The process is long - drying lasts from four to ten days. But it is not worth accelerating this action: if the drying is too fast, a crust appears on the surface, which will prevent the evaporation of moisture from the deeper layers. This will significantly reduce the quality of the product.
It is better to dry under a canopy. The air temperature must be above +35°C. Vegetables are chopped and laid out on trays or grates covered with paper. It is good to do this on a tree: plywood or boards. Metal is completely unsuitable, because the sun heats up too much. And if you spread the pieces of tomatoes directly on the iron, when dried, a chemical reaction can occur between them and the metal.
The place should be well lit by the sun. From time to time, the tomatoes are turned over.
From above, tomatoes are covered with light material, preferably with gauze, so that dust does not fall on them and insects do not settle. At night, trays of tomatoes will have to be brought indoors to protect them from morning dew.
Drying tomatoes in an electric dryer
This is artificial drying, in which pressure, temperature and humidity are forced.
Requirements for this method:
- temperature - 70–75°C;
- time - from 5 to 15 hours;
- pallets are swapped every hour and a half;
- vegetables are stirred occasionally.
Take out the tomatoes when they are completely cold.
How to dry in the oven
At home, tomatoes are convenient to dry in the oven. Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet on top of the oiled parchment paper. They are sprinkled with salt, herbs, chopped garlic, sprinkled with oil. Salt can be used not before drying, but after it.
Drying in the oven:
- temperature - about + 80 ° С;
- time 3-15 hours;
- the door is kept ajar so that the evaporation process takes place;
- from time to time the fruits need to be turned over;
- Make sure the tomatoes don't burn or dry out.
Ready tomatoes are put in sterile jars, fresh chopped garlic is added and poured with vegetable oil. Store this preparation in the refrigerator.
How to determine the readiness of dried tomatoes
The duration of drying depends on many things: the juiciness of the tomatoes, temperature, air humidity. And also on whether the cores of the fruits are removed. Therefore, the readiness of the product is determined by appearance and condition.
Readiness criteria:
- Weight. Should be 10-20% of the initial weight of the prepared fruit.
- Slices. They should come out dry and wrinkled, but still elastic. Should not crumble or break.
- The edges of the slices. In well-dried tomatoes, they are even and slightly curled up.
- Middle. By the end of drying, it will turn white.
- Color. Should be the same for all dried slices.
Of course, the product must be clean, free from mold, surface moisture and insects.
Storing Sun Dried Tomatoes
Dried and sun-dried tomatoes must be stored properly, otherwise worms, rot or mold may appear in them.
There are several ways to store dried tomatoes. With any of them, dust, debris, steam, moisture and light should not get on the workpieces.
In winter, dry tomatoes can be stored:
- In natural fabric bags or paper bags. Well-dried tomatoes keep well room temperature in a dry dark place. But provided that there is air access to this container.
- In a sterile glass jar. Tomatoes are tightly packed, hermetically sealed and the container is placed where sunlight does not enter. You can add fresh to the jar spices, spices, ground pepper and garlic. Topped with olive oil.
- in the refrigerator or freezer. With this method of storage, dried vegetables are placed in a plastic bag.
At low temperatures (0 - + 10 ° C) and air humidity not higher than 65%, dry tomatoes are stored better.
The shelf life of dried tomatoes is 6–12 months.
What to cook with dried tomatoes
Dried tomatoes are eaten as an addition to dishes. But before they can be used for cooking snacks, they need to return moisture.
To do this, dry tomatoes:
- soak in cold water for a while - from 20 minutes to several hours;
- dipped in boiling water with vinegar for 2 minutes;
- boil in clean water until soft.
Dried tomatoes are put in fish and meat salads. They go well with cutlets, rice and fried vegetables. You can put them in soups, borscht, stews or sauces at the end of cooking (3 minutes before readiness).
Chicken Salad Recipe:
- boiled chicken breast- 400 g;
- sun-dried tomatoes - 200 g;
- olives;
- arugula - a bunch;
- lemon juice and olive oil - for dressing.
Fish salad:
- weak salt salmon - 200 g;
- fresh tomato;
- sun-dried tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
- cucumber - 1 pc.;
- egg - 2 pcs.;
- leaf lettuce - a bunch;
- crackers - 1 sachet;
- mayonnaise for dressing.
Dried tomatoes are put on sandwiches, pizza, in baking stuffing.
The oil that was poured into tomatoes is used to make sauces and as a dressing for salads.
Being a gourmet is not a sin, especially since to prepare the same dishes as in the most sophisticated restaurant, you do not need to spend a lot of money, because most of these ingredients are very cheap, you just need to prepare them. Sun-dried or dried tomatoes are one such ingredient.
It is used to make pizza, pasta sauce, or as an independent snack.
When choosing tomatoes for drying, choose fleshy varieties, small in size. Cherry tomatoes have earned the special love of culinary experts, and we will not argue with them, but let's see how to dry tomatoes at home using an electric dryer.
Wash and dry the tomatoes. Then cut them in half, remove the stalks, remove the seeds and excess juice with a teaspoon.
Prepare in a separate saucer a mixture of coarse salt, sugar, and fragrant herbs. It can be a mixture of "Italian herbs", or compiled by you individually. Dill and ground black pepper are also suitable for tomatoes.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with the prepared mixture, drizzle the reconciliation with olive oil, and place the tomatoes cut side up in the electric dryer.
The standard time for drying a tomato in an electric dryer is 10 hours, at a temperature of 70 degrees. But for "cherries" this time can be reduced. Every 2 hours you need to turn off the electric dryer and change the pallets in places - put the bottom ones up and the top ones down. Dried tomatoes are considered ready when the juice has stopped dripping from them, but they remain elastic.
Storing dried tomatoes
Some prefer to eat just dried tomatoes as they are. In this case, put the tomatoes in a glass jar and store them in the refrigerator. At room temperature, they can absorb excess moisture and become moldy.
The best way to store dried tomatoes is store them in oil.
Prepare a clean jar, crush a clove of garlic on the bottom, and place dried tomatoes on top. You can also put garlic cloves between the layers. When the jar is full, fill the tomatoes with vegetable oil. Ideally, you need olive oil, but sunflower is no worse. Close the jar and turn it over a few times to distribute the oil evenly. Add oil if necessary.
So the tomatoes will last until spring. They can be used to prepare various dishes, and salads can be seasoned with oil.
How to cook dried tomatoes in an electric dryer, see the video:
You can prepare sun-dried tomatoes in the dryer for use during the winter time yourself. They are dried in the summer, when vegetables are relatively cheap. The cost of such a Mediterranean harvest for the winter will be several times cheaper than dried tomatoes in purchased jars. If desired, you can change the ingredients to your liking.
To spice them up during processing, recipes allow you to add the following spices:
- oregano;
- thyme;
- basil;
- spicy pepper;
- lemon zest and others.
There are several ways to dry for the winter: in the sun, in the oven or in a specially purchased dryer. According to users, sun-dried tomatoes in an electric dryer compare favorably with dried vegetables in two other ways. The sun is not always active, there are also rainy days, and the convection oven draws a lot of electricity and heats up the already high temperature of the kitchen too much.
Oven gas stove definitely not suitable for drying vegetables, since it is impossible to make a fire of the required intensity to maintain the required temperature. In addition, it heats unevenly: some slices of tomato may burn, while others remain dry.
Cooking process in a special dryer
This is a very simple and affordable way to dry tomatoes. For cooking you will need:
- 5 kg of tomatoes;
- balsamic vinegar - 3 tsp;
- sunflower oil - 150 g;
- spices, salt and sugar;
- garlic.
To cook sun-dried tomatoes at home, you should buy vegetables with a dense middle. Usually varieties of tomatoes in the form of plums have this property. They have a suitable small size and oblong shape. In addition, they are easy to grow in your garden.
Preparing vegetables
Before preparing sun-dried tomatoes for the winter, they should be thoroughly washed and dried with a towel.
Ripe specimens are selected without visible damage in the form of dents or rot. It is advisable to select small fruits of the same size so that their cooking time is the same.
If the tomatoes are too juicy, then with the help of a small spoon, seeds and juice are removed from them without breaking the partitions. The selected center can be frozen, and then used as an additive in cooking, where fresh tomatoes are added (stews, soups, sauces).
Plum varieties do not need to remove the seeds - they do original taste at sun-dried tomatoes. Then the halves prepared in this way are laid cut down on a paper towel for 10-15 minutes to allow the juice to drain. This will speed up the drying process.
Spices
The spices used for the tomatoes to be dried must be dry. These spices have a richer flavor. In a small bowl, mix seasonings with salt and sugar. There is no need to follow any proportions. Provence herbs and basil are considered a good addition to such harvesting, but not everyone likes them. You can use your own seasonings, such as ground black pepper, dried dill and parsley.
For drying, it is better to use coarse salt, as fine salt will melt quickly and may drain from the fruit. Sugar in this process is added not only as a preservative - it gives a unique taste to the finished tomatoes. But if you categorically do not welcome spices, then some recipes allow you to dry without them, only slightly salting the tomatoes.
Laying vegetables in the dryer and drying
Immediately before placing the vegetables in the dryer, they are sprinkled with spices and lightly sprinkled with sunflower or olive oil. Then the tomatoes are laid out on the dryer in an even layer, cut-side up. Tomato drying recipes do not recommend using garlic as a seasoning at this stage: it can adversely affect the flavor of the finished product.
After turning on the dryer, 10 to 16 hours should elapse. The time varies depending on the size of the fruits, their juiciness, the power of the device and the selected temperature. The optimal setting is 50 degrees.
It is recommended to swap pallets during drying. The moisture must completely evaporate. If during the drying process a puddle appeared under some tomatoes, it must be blotted with a napkin. The main thing is that the vegetables do not dry out: the tomatoes must retain their elasticity. This can be checked by pressing on them: if no liquid comes out of the tomatoes, then the vegetables are ready. Periodically, you need to recheck them, and remove the finished pieces from the dryer.
Valte in the daytime. You can put the dryer early in the morning so that everything is ready by the evening. It is easier to mess around with the rearrangement of trays during the day.
After cooking, the dryer turns off, but the vegetables remain in it until they cool completely, and at this time the filling is being prepared.
Preparation of filling and laying in a jar
Olive oil is traditionally used for pouring tomatoes. But you can process them with refined sunflower, which has no smell. Soaked in the aroma of spices and herbs, sunflower will be similar to olive. So, combine vegetable oil with vinegar and chopped garlic cloves. Then pour some of the prepared filling on the bottom of the sterilized jar and lay out a layer of tomatoes. Then pour the prepared mixture again.
In the process of laying out, you need to make sure that no air bubbles remain. There should be a filling at the top of the jar, about 1 cm higher than the sun-dried tomatoes. After that, cooked canned food can be rolled up with a sterile lid. Store in a refrigerator. After a week, ready-made tomatoes can be used.
If dried vegetables will be stored for a short time, you can fill them with cold filling, just adding a little balsamic vinegar. But when harvesting for the winter, heat the oil with spices to a boil.
Storage and use
You can store sun-dried tomatoes simply in a dry container with a lid or in paper bag, but in a refrigerator, and before use, steam in warm water. Recipes for their preparation differ only in the presence of filling.
This serving of tomatoes will make only two 400-gram jars. Dryer-dried tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for about 6 months. For a small family, it is enough to prepare 4 - 5 jars for the winter.
Numerous recipes call for dried vegetables to be added to first courses or baked goods. They have an original flavor and incredible taste. They are added to salads, spaghetti or meat sauces. Very tasty when added to pizza.
They are served at the table as an independent snack along with bruschettas or cheeses. Used as a sandwich ingredient. For example, you get an overeating if you put a leaf of basil on a toast, a few pieces sun-dried tomatoes and a slice of mozzarella.
