Oven Dried Tomato

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun-dried tomato has to be one of my favorite food ingredients. The sweet tomato flavors concentrate and it adds a lot of character to any dish it features in. The challenge however is that these guys are quite expensive to buy and some times, after spending a lot of money on a bottle, you might discover to your horror that they taste off. Drying them outside in the sun can be a daunting task. The good news is that you can make your own “sun” dried tomato in your kitchen. All you need is an oven.

For instructions on how to make sun-dried tomatoes the old fashioned way: in the sun, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

(1) Ripe Tomatoes

(2) 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

(3) 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

(4) Few sprigs of Fresh Thyme (Optional)

(5) 1/4 Cup (4 Tablespoons) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for preservation)

PROCEDURE: 

(1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees (lowest setting).

(2) Line a baking sheet with foil paper or parchment paper. Set aside.

(3) Wash tomatoes and pat dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4) Slice tomatoes into quarters and remove seeds (seeds can be used in soups, stews or smoothies).

(5) Place tomato slices on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt. Work your way through the tomato slices to ensure that they are evenly seasoned and covered with the oil.

(6) Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on baking sheet. Scatter a few sprigs of thyme on the tomato slices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(7) Place in oven. Now the duration in the oven will depend on how dry you want them. It could take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours for them to reach your desired level of dehydration. I left mine for 8 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8) Allow to cool and bottle with some olive oil. Make sure the bottle is very sterile. Everything got into a 237 ml bottle. The olive oil should be of high quality.

There are 3 determinants of very good quality olive oil. You should always look for the words:

(a) “Extra Virgin”: This is different from just “Virgin” olive oil. Extra virgin means the oil is extracted from the first press of the olives and contain a maximum of 1 percent oleic acid;

(b) “Cold Pressed”: This means that the oil was extracted by pressing out with oil stones or other tools and not heated. Heating oil during extraction reduces its quality;

(c) “Organic”: If you can afford to, go organic. Organic crops and foods are a lot more superior than modified ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9) It can last up to 3 months in fridge. As an added bonus, you get dried tomato flavored olive oil. Enjoy!

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