Sun Dried Tomatoes 101 Food

OVEN SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 200 F, or the lowest setting possible. Resist the temptation to use a higher temperature to speed up the process, as then you'd be cooking the tomatoes, instead of drying them.
• Core the tomatoes, and cut them in half lengthwise (from stem end to tip).
• Squeeze each half gently over a bowl to remove excess liquid and seeds.
• Make a small slit with the tip of a sharp paring knife in the back (skin-side) of each tomato half to help them dry.
• Place a drying rack on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, and arrange the tomatoes, cut-side up, in a single layer on the rack. Make sure there is a bit of space around each tomato and that they're not touching so they can dry evenly.
• Lightly sprinkle the tomatoes with salt.
• Place baking sheet in the oven and leave until the tomatoes are dehydrated and a bit leathery, but not hard, brittle, or crispy. Check them every hour during drying. Depending on your tomatoes and oven, this can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours.
• When finished, they should still be somewhat chewy and flexible. Remove from the oven, and let cool. Use in your choice of salads, pasta, or as a pizza topping.

PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
• For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.
• Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

SUN-DRIED TOMATOES 101

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 200*F. Place a metal rack on a baking sheet.
• 2. Cut each tomato in thirds lengthwise. Each slice should be about 1/3-inch thick.
• 3. Sprinkle salt on the cut sides of the tomatoes--not more than you'd want to eat though! 4. Line a cutting board with a dish towel or paper towels and place the tomatoes on top. 5. Top with another dish towel and another cutting board. Weight with a heavy cookbook or two. Leave for 20 minutes. This helps get some of the tomato's juices out early, before they go in the oven.
• 6. Remove the tomatoes from the cutting board sandwich, dusting off any salt that hasn't dissolved, and place them on the rack, with at least 1 inch in between. Sprinkle with the fresh thyme.
• 7. Bake for about 5 hours, until the tomatoes are dry to the touch and have wrinkled around the edges. You can really decide how dry you want them--as dry as raisins? or do you want to leave a little plumpness? Watch them (and try them) as they cook, and decide for yourself. When done, remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
• 8. If you're going to be storing your tomatoes in olive oil, place the olive oil and garlic in a small jar while the tomatoes are cooking, and let the garlic steep to flavor the oil.
• 9. When the tomatoes are cool, add them to the oil. If not using oil, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
• My Note: Tomatoes - any quantity, ripe, but not over ripe, still firm. The yield varies considerably depending upon the moisture content of the tomatoes, which depends upon the type of tomato and the weather. Paste tomatoes (Roma) work best and typically yield 2 cups of dried tomatoes for each 5 lbs of fresh.

SUN-DRIED TOMATOES I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Wash and halve tomatoes. Gently squeeze out the seeds. Place the tomatoes on a non-stick cookie sheet, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
• Bake until tomatoes take on a leathery texture. This could literally take all day; smaller pieces will require less oven time.