I am inundated with tomatoes this year. I’m not complaining, honestly. But I’ve been forced to get creative with how to eat, preserve, and store them. Along with tomato salads every single day, we’ve made pounds of salsa, filled shelves with stewed tomatoes and even tried to freeze some. I still have a counter overflowing. So I decided to try to roast some and frankly, forgot about them. The taste resembled sun dried tomatoes. After a few more tweaks and attempts, I mastered the Oven-Dried Tomato. And it is very very easy.
Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients:
– Tomatoes of any kind, but roma tomatoes work best
– Salt & Pepper
– Spices: try rosemary, chili, garlic, or spicy cayenne
– 2-3 cups of olive oil
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Place a cooling rack/grate on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Cut tomatoes in half and remove stems. Place open side up on cooling rack.
- Sprinkle tomatoes with salt, pepper and preferred spice. I love rosemary on these.
- Place in oven and bake for 3-4 hours or until tomatoes are dry to touch. They don’t have to be crispy, just dry to touch. You want them pliable. Smaller tomatoes will dry faster, remove them early if necessary.
- Let tomatoes cool completely.
- Pack tomatoes in ball jars and cover with olive oil. Tap sides to get all air bubbles out. The elimination of oxygen exposure helps these stay fresh longer; about 2-3 weeks. Store in the refrigerator.
– Don’t forget about that oil; it’s now flavored and delicious. Use on salads or to flavor meats. Nom nom.
Optional Alternative::
-Instead of packing in olive oil, you can freeze these savory gems and enjoy them year-round. Freeze on a cookie sheet and then put into jars or ziplock bags.
Happy Harvest Season! I hope you guys give these a try! And please share your feedback; I love to hear it!
Cheers,
Bridget
XOXO
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