Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Oil

Thoroughly wash the tomatoes and pat them dry with a paper towel, or let them air dry if you have enough time. There should be no excess moisture. Cut each tomato in half and remove the stem. In some recipes, I see that the liquid and seeds are not removed. But what do we really want to achieve? Sun-dried tomatoes. And to make them as quickly as possible, the liquid should be removed if possible. Remove the seeds with a spoon, leaving only the flesh.

Line a baking sheet with foil. On my baking sheet, I fit exactly this amount of tomatoes - 1.2 kilograms. Place the halves next to each other, cut side up. Now for all the dry spices: evenly sprinkle oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and dried garlic, if possible.

It is currently summer (at the moment) and it is sunny and hot, around +35 degrees Celsius, so I decided to save a bit and not use the oven, but let the tomatoes dry naturally. I placed the baking sheet on the balcony (mine is glazed and facing the sunny side). I left the tomatoes to dry for one and a half days and they dried perfectly. The result is quite visible in the photo - there is plenty of space between the halves.

Preheat the oven. The temperature should not exceed 80-100 degrees Celsius. To let the moisture escape, the oven should be slightly ajar. If you don't sun-dry the tomatoes beforehand, it will take from 4 to 6 hours to dry, depending on the size. However, it only took me an hour and a half. The tomatoes should be elastic, not completely dry. Try them, they have a very interesting taste, which was a pleasant surprise for me.

Thoroughly wash the jar. Then place it in the microwave for two minutes - it will dry and sterilize. Peel the garlic and slice it. Olive oil can be replaced with vegetable oil, but it must be refined oil. Personally, I prefer a 50/50 mix of olive and vegetable oil. I always heat the oil. It should be hot, but not boiling. Add a little oil to the bottom of the jar and a couple of garlic slices.

Next, tightly pack the tomatoes, pressing the fork stem on top, and pour some oil. There should be no air bubbles inside.

In three turns, adding garlic and oil, fill our jar completely. The oil should completely cover the tomatoes. Close the jar with a clean lid. I store dried tomatoes at room temperature. After opening the jar, store in the refrigerator.

For those who have not tried dried tomatoes, the question immediately arises - where to use them? Well, first of all, try not to eat everything at once after taking it out of the oven. Personally, for me, they are like sunflower seeds - it's hard to stop. I really like to make pasta from them - a kind of tomato pesto. I just blend the tomatoes with a small amount of oil. You can also add chopped olives. The proportions can be any, for example, equal amounts of both. It tastes delicious with black bread and breadsticks. Well, I will also tell you about a salad that is very simple and often for breakfast. On a plate, put a handful of mixed salad, a couple of tomatoes on top, cut into wedges, then pieces of avocado (half a small one) and thinly sliced dried tomatoes. Pour the dressing on top, add parmesan and pine nuts. For the dressing, take a teaspoon of balsamic or grape vinegar, a couple of tablespoons of oil (olive or vegetable), a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, and mix well. That's it! A delicious breakfast is ready! Enjoy your meal!