Sun dried tomatoes are a standard South Italian antipasto and ingredient, and are also easy to make. This particular recipe is Calabrian; before you begin check the weather forecast because you'll need several days of hot dry weather with intense sunlight.
Ingredients:
- Sun ripened ripe plum tomatoes, as many as you want (Figure at least 2 pounds (1 k))
- Garlic SEE NOTE BELOW
- Oregano
- Freshly shredded mild or hot pepper to taste
- Basil
- Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Salt
Preparation:
You'll want to start early in the morning: Wash the tomatoes and pat them dry.
Slice the tomatoes lengthwise, set them on a rack, dust them with salt, put them out where the sun will strike them (if where you live has a lively insect population cover them with fine netting).
Leave them in the sun until dusk, and then bring them inside lest dew fall upon them as the temperature falls. Continue setting them out each morning until they are dry. Depending upon the humidity where you live this could take 2 or more days.
When they have dried, rinse them with water and vinegar. Mince the herbs in the proportion that suits your fancy, and then layer the dried tomatoes in a jar, sprinkling the herbs and some salt over each layer. Press well, then fill the jar with olive oil, shaking repeatedly and tapping the sides of the jar to make sure no air pockets remain. Seal, and let the tomatoes sit in a cool dark place for a few months, at which point they'll make a fine antipasto, over slices of crusty bread. They will also be quite nice sliced fine in cold pasta dishes or insalata di riso (rice salad, a great picnic food), and as a general flavoring agent in zesty dishes.
NOTE: recent studies have shown that garlic packed in oil can harbor botulism. Therefore, if you hear a hissing sound as you open the jar discard the contents. Or, to be safe, omit the garlic.
Yield: several jars of sun dried tomatoes
Slice the tomatoes lengthwise, set them on a rack, dust them with salt, put them out where the sun will strike them (if where you live has a lively insect population cover them with fine netting).
Leave them in the sun until dusk, and then bring them inside lest dew fall upon them as the temperature falls. Continue setting them out each morning until they are dry. Depending upon the humidity where you live this could take 2 or more days.
When they have dried, rinse them with water and vinegar. Mince the herbs in the proportion that suits your fancy, and then layer the dried tomatoes in a jar, sprinkling the herbs and some salt over each layer. Press well, then fill the jar with olive oil, shaking repeatedly and tapping the sides of the jar to make sure no air pockets remain. Seal, and let the tomatoes sit in a cool dark place for a few months, at which point they'll make a fine antipasto, over slices of crusty bread. They will also be quite nice sliced fine in cold pasta dishes or insalata di riso (rice salad, a great picnic food), and as a general flavoring agent in zesty dishes.
NOTE: recent studies have shown that garlic packed in oil can harbor botulism. Therefore, if you hear a hissing sound as you open the jar discard the contents. Or, to be safe, omit the garlic.
Yield: several jars of sun dried tomatoes
