Use up fresh garden cherry tomatoes by making “sun” dried tomatoes. Only these aren’t actually dried in the sun; they are slow roasted in the oven until they reach the perfect sticky-sweet consistency.
A few years ago, I wrote a couple of recipes in which I attempted to make use of the bounty of summertime vegetables I grow every year. There was ciambotta (an Italian summer vegetable stew), zucchini bread, and Indian tomato chutney. And while I definitely wouldn’t call having a huge amount of fresh garden-grown vegetables a problem, I am finding myself thinking of creative ways to use hundreds of (mostly cherry) tomatoes. This first summer produce recipe is a play on chewy and intensely sweet sun dried tomatoes. Only since I’m not willing to wait literal weeks for my tomatoes to naturally dry out in the sun, I make them in the oven.
I love sun dried tomatoes. They are a fantastic addition to almost anything. Toss them with pasta, throw them on a sandwich, or (as us millennials love) top avocado toast. Their uses really are endless, and I keep a jar of them in my pantry at all times. These oven roasted “sun” dried tomatoes come out just as sticky-sweet and chewy as the store bought kind. But my favorite part about them is that they are packed in olive oil. Packing food in olive oil is not only a great way to preserve homemade food, it also serves as a flavor boost. The tomatoes take on all the savory rich notes of the oil, and the oil absorbs all the sweetness of the tomato. Use this savory-sweet olive oil in just as many (if not more) ways as the tomatoes themselves.
OVEN DRYING TOMATOES
Oven roasting these “sun” dried tomatoes is certainly easier than leaving them out to try in the sun for hours. But it does take a little bit of finesse. The key to oven-drying tomatoes is to cook them in a super low temp oven. The lowest my oven gets to is around 200 degrees. But the lower your oven gets, the better. You’ll leave them in the oven for 2-3 hours, until practically all the moisture has evaporated from them and they are super chewy. Since we are drying them I lot more quickly than they otherwise would have been, they will retain a little bit of moisture, but that’s ok.
Cherry tomatoes, especially super fresh garden grown ones, are optimal for this recipe. They are incredibly sweet, and oven drying them intensifies that sweetness down into one tiny flavor-packed bite.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE PERFECT OVEN “SUN” DRIED TOMATO
- Use the lowest oven temp possible; around 150-200 degrees is optimal.
- Roast your tomatoes for 2-3 hours until the moisture is evaporated, but keep your eye on them. They can burn in the oven, and better to have a slightly wet tomato than a burnt one.
- Pack your tomatoes submerged in olive oil in a clean mason jar. The olive oil will not only help preserve them, but will impart flavor.
- Store your oven dried tomatoes in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Oven Roasted Sun Dried Tomatoes
Equipment
- 1 8 oz bell jar
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- salt
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to as low as it will go: 150-200 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Halve cherry tomatoes and place them on the baking sheet cut side up. Liberally salt tomatoes.
- Roast tomatoes in the low oven until most of the moisture has evaporated, but check them every 20 minutes to be sure they don't burn, about 2-3 hours.
- Pack the oven sun dried tomatoes in the bell jar and fill with olive oil. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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