Sunday, March 3, 2013

How to make your own semi dried tomatoes.


It's Sunday night and we've just spent our entire weekend harvesting and preserving fruit and vegetables. It looks, smells and tastes a whole lot like autumn around here. It's deeeeeliscious!

One thing we seem to be making a lot of, one thing our family eat almost as quickly as we pick and make, are semi-dried tomatoes. On salads, in sandwiches, on toast, straight out of the jar...YUM!

When I posted a photo on instagram a few days ago, I got so many requests for a recipe that I thought I'd better get on with it and type one up.

So here they are, our semi-dried tomatoes, delicious and easy-peasy.


First you'll need to pick or gather or swap for or buy some tomatoes, a big bowl or colander full.

We're mostly using cherry pears because that's what's ripe, but this week we'll have some Romas and San Marzanos so we'll be using them next. Most tomato varieties would work well, but I think the more organic, the fresher, the more local to where you live, the better.


Slice all your tomatoes in half width wise.


Gather a few cloves of garlic, some rosemary and any other herbs you think would go well, salt and pepper and some good quality olive oil.


Put half the tomatoes in a bowl with some of each of the ingredients I listed above. Make sure you use enough olive oil to really coat the tomatoes, crush a few good sized cloves of garlic, chop some rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

Get your hands in the bowl and mix it all up together.


Spread the tomatoes face up on a baking tray.


Set your oven to about 100-120. Pop the tomato trays in the oven and leave the door ever so slightly ajar. Before we had an oven that stayed open, we used to leave a spoon in the door, but be careful if you do this because the spoon will get super HOT! So please try and remember to use a tea towel to take it out when you need to.

Leave the tomatoes in the oven like this for several hours, or overnight. Check on them regularly.


Take the trays of tomatoes out of the oven and allow to cool when they have shrivelled up and taste like you want them to taste.


Phew, you've worked hard to get to this step, congratulations! You totally deserve a snack. Cut yourself a piece of bread, slather on some pesto and sprinkle on some semi dried tomatoes. So good!


Then three quarter fill your jars with your semi dried tomatoes and fill the rest up with some good quality olive oil.

But be warned - these semi dried tomatoes are highly addictive.

Bon appetit!


Tomorrow I think I might make a start on some tomato sauce.
And some more pickled beetroot.
How about you, what's your favourite way to enjoy or preserve the humble tommy?

Hope you have a happy and juicy week peeps.

xx

57 comments:

  1. They look so very YUM YUM YUM!!! They would go perfectly with home-grown rocket, and some marinated feta! I have always wondered if making marinated feta would be as easy - have you ever done that with your fresh herbs?
    Lauren :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is divine with feta and rocket.
      And we've never marinated our own feta but we are talking about getting goats for feta, so maybe soon.

      Delete
  2. I'm definitely trying this next time we get tomatoes bulk! Thank-you for sharing Kate!

    Enjoy the week!
    Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hoping now that I get more than the 1 cherry pear tomato that I picked today, these look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Our Roma's are starting to turn so I will DEFS be doing this soon. Also, made the most delicious Tomato & Onion Relish a few weeks back which I am recommending to everybody - see it here > http://womansday.ninemsn.com.au/food/readersrecipes/999030/tomato-and-onion-relish

    Too Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brilliant! Thanks Roxanne, I'll be giving that a go for sure.

      Delete
  5. Thank you so much for sharing, they look absolutely gorgeous! Is it too cheeky to ask you to share the pickled beetroot recipe as well one day.......?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that's a good idea.
      I'll take some pics when I make it tomorrow.

      Delete
  6. Wow beautiful and we too have been lapping up the last of the tomato sweetness. So beautiful. Lovely lovely.xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yum yum yum! Thanks for sharing, what a treat :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well we will certainly never get the glut of toms that you have, but I would beg borrow or steal some for that recipe. Sounds absolutely scrumptious. Over here we're usually in need of recipes for the green tomatoes that don't get enough sun, so green tomato chutney has become one of our favourites!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yum! Love tomatoes and love them semi-dried!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yummo! These look delicious, Kate! Thanks for sharing - I can't wait to give them a try.

    Sar xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. They look delicious! When you've eaten a jar of your semi-dried tomatoes is there any way to use the olive oil left in the jar? Or is it no good and has to be turfed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just now filled up yesterday's almost empty but still oily jars with more tomatos.
      My guess is that it's probably good for a few goes but eventually would go off because of all the other stuff in there with the oil.

      Delete
  12. Yummy do you have an other choice instead olive oil for the dried tomatos..can I put canola oil?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely conola.
      Now you've got me wondering what would happen if you didn't use any oil at all.
      Hmmmm worth a go I think.

      Delete
  13. Mmm, looks delish . . . I will have to try this! We are on the verge of a tomato glut too.
    re comment from Maggie, I would use the leftover infused oil in a salad dressing or to saute onions for (eg) bolognese sauce or starting off a soup. Don't waste it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am drooling over my computer reading this! I had no idea they would be that easy to make. I am so looking out for some organic tomatoes, so I can make these myself. Foods like jar bought semi dried tomatoes are VERY expensive in Hong Kong, they are a luxury food item. Now I know how to make my own, so glad I packed my jam jars when we moved. Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. They look very nice Kate. I cant wait to see the tomato sauce and the pickled beetroot. Isabelle loves beetroot and both my kids love tomato sauce too. What is your favourite tomato to eat since you have so many different kinds of them. I always seem to prefer the romas for some reason.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the cherries and baby pears in salads and the romas on toast or crackers and the san marzano for cooking.

      Delete
  16. Hi! These look delicious, thanks! Just wondering, what is the shelf life once they're semi-dried?

    Thanks!
    Sabrina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd say probably a couple of weeks max but to be honest they never last as long as that in our house so I wouldn't know.

      Delete
  17. Oh yum Kate, delicious! So much warmth and colour in your photos. Passata is really the only way I preserve tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh lord, am I hungry now! Your photos are great!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. ...oh wow...that pesto those tomatoes...look spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  20. yum yum yum yum YUM! I so have to try these!! We haven't got any of our our tomatoes growing yet (sadly) but when they are really cheap from the supermarket, I might get an extra box for drying!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Superb timing! Just the recipe I needed- I'm making some now:)

    Thanks for sharing your expertise Kate:)

    We have a heap of ready all at once homegrown tomatoes & this looks a perfect way to enjoy them- as others have said I didn't realize it was this simple.

    ReplyDelete
  22. That looks delicious Kate...I would love to see how you pickle beetroot as well. I am leaving on a sailing trip for 6 months in May and this maybe a method to store some vegetables when fresh isnt available!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I'm a reader from the US and I was wondering if the 100-120 for the oven is F or C.
    I like to make tomato jam from bountiful tomato harvests. It is good with cheese and crackers or on sandwiches/bean burgers/burgers. Probably great with egg dishes too.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh, yum. I made tomato sauce yesterday using Stephanie Alexander's recipe. It is always so good. Alas, they were bought tomatoes, not home-grown. I dream of a tomato festival in my own backyard one day!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi - I live in Scotland, and its just not the place to get a glut of toms. but if i ever did, i would be making hugh F-W's roast tomato sauce and putting in the freezer. Do you know Hugh FW? We are loving his veg every day book this year.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/sep/23/tomato-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thankyou for sharing!

    I'm going to give this a go. Definitely! Great timing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. My absolutely favourite way of eating tomatoes, besides fresh from the garden, is my 91 year old Grandma's tomato sauce. She doesn't make chutney or relish, just sauce. Her sauce is the best, a bit spicy, a bit chunky, really red and the bottles ALWAYS have a cork in the top. Whenever I have her sauce it reminds of her and all the yummy slathered in sauce things I've eaten at her house. I've not had better sauce ever. I don't think I ever will. Lovely Grandma.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOVE this so much Nic!
      I wish I could taste it, or at least have a 91 year old granny to teach me.

      Delete
  28. We love these! And we freeze small jars of them to have all winter long added to sauces and pizzas. So delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fabulous idea Casey! I'll be freezing some now to, thanks to you.

      Delete
  29. YUM! Oh Kate how wonderfully inspiring! I must try this very soon.
    Sophie x

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a delicious post. Not just the recipe but also all the yum pictures. We always get tons of tomatoes and we usually give away loads. This year I think I'll try this recipe... In a salad, with pasta, in a cous cous, on bread, as a snack with the evening beer by the BBQ... So many opportunities. To bad I have to wait aaaaaalll the way to August. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Your photos are great!! I love tomatoes..

    ReplyDelete
  32. Curious how to preserve these? Any ideas on that? I'm not to savy on canning but am willing to learn! :) Lovely recipe and blog. thank you for sharing....makes me wish my kids were little again though I enjoy them as teens very much.

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Thanks so much for stopping by...

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Kate XX

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