Sun dried tomatoes with tuna are a Puglian specialty, and according to Luigi Sada are "oft-imitated but never successfully." Not that we won't try; they'll work quite nicely as an antipasto.
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Canned tuna
- Olive oil
Preparation:
Select as many ripe, firm, blemish-free plum tomatoes as suit your fancy. Wash them, dry them, and slice them lengthwise. Put them on a board, dust them with salt, and set them out to dry in the hot summer sun (cover them with netting if need be to keep the insects away), making certain you bring them in at night because they would otherwise absorb moisture from the air. Once they have dried rinse them with some vinegar, drain them well, and let them dry. Next, take pieces of tuna packed in oil (you'll want to buy a larger can here so you can get chunks, or buy some from your delicatessen) and warp the tomatoes around them, securing them in place with toothpicks. Layer the tomato-tuna packets in a clean jar, sprinkle shredded hot red pepper to taste over the layers, fill the jar with olive oil, and let everything set covered for a few days.
