Dried tomatoes: features of use and storage

In what form only tomatoes are not harvested. They marinate, salt, use in blanks. Even unripe green tomatoes can be salted.But there is another, not so well-known way of storing this vegetable - dried tomatoes. In this article, we will look at this concept and figure out why they are harvested.

Such product as dried tomatoes originated in Italy. There they are considered a good aperitif, which is combined with many products. In this way, the Italians harvest tomatoes for future use.

In this regard, a huge number of dishes, which includes dried tomatoes, belong to the cuisine of Italy. For example, pesto sauce. It is prepared from both fresh and dried tomatoes.

Since dried tomatoes are entering our diet more and more firmly, we will consider some of their properties, as well as benefits and harms.

In such vegetables there is no moisture, but at the same time they are also rich in vitamins, as well as fresh ones. The product contains vitamins C and B, as well as minerals:

• Potassium
• Iron
• Phosphorus
• Calcium
• Selenium.

Dried tomatoes have an increased calorie content in relation to fresh - 250 kcal instead of 25 kcal per 100 grams of vegetable. In this regard, you should not get involved in such tomatoes to people who stick to a diet.

Not all tomatoes can be dried. Too large fruits and small sweet tomatoes of the Cherry variety will not work, they are simply hard to dry. It is best to choose copies weighing about one hundred grams, not overripe. Overripe fruits in the process of drying will be black and unsightly. Of course, this will not affect the taste of the product, but the appearance is also of great importance. In the dried form of the tomatoes will be only 20 percent of the total mass.

Most suitable for cooking varieties:

• Bull heart
• Black moor
• Caspar F1
• Shuttle
• Amber Cup
• Bell and others.

At home, cook tomatoes best in the oven. Drying tomatoes in the sun is also acceptable.

Tomato is cut into several pieces. In the process of drying, the tomatoes are completely separated from the skin, the seeds and partitions are removed. Vegetable squeezed from the juice.

Prepared slices are laid out on a baking sheet with the cut-off part up. Top sprinkled with seasoning salt and spices (basil, garlic, chopped parsley). Salt will draw excess moisture from the vegetable and speed up the drying process.

A baking tray with harvested slices is placed in an oven heated to 80 degrees Celsius. On average, the process takes up to 5 hours. The baking tray in the oven should be rotated from time to time to prevent the preform from burning.

The main criterion for determining the readiness of tomatoes is their weight. The initial weight of the vegetable should be reduced by about a quarter. The color of the tomato remains unchanged. Top slices slightly shrivel and bend inward. Do not allow complete draining of vegetables.

Next, the workpiece should be placed in specially prepared jars. To do this, rinse the jar with detergent, wipe thoroughly and be sure to sterilize.

The jar slices are placed in layers. The first layer of tomatoes is poured on top with seasoned salt, pepper and chopped garlic, then another layer is put. Then the whole mass should be poured with olive or vegetable oil.

The can is tightly closed and stored in a place where sunlight does not fall. You can store the billet for a year. As can be seen from the method, it is quite simple to cook dried tomatoes.

Dried tomatoes can be in the sun. This method was originally used in Italy, since the warm sunny climate prevails there.

The process of drying in the sun ranges from 4 to 9 days, the period depends on the air temperature and ambient humidity.

The advantages of this method are its simplicity and the absence of any costs. Tomatoes are almost impossible to overcook in the sun.

But with all the positive aspects of this method, there are significant drawbacks. In the process of harvesting dirt and dust can accumulate on pieces of vegetable, pieces of garbage can appear, the impact of insects is possible. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly rinse the blanks before use or further storage.

The use of an electric drier is one of the rarest methods of drying tomatoes. The latest devices are equipped with temperature sensors, a timer and the ability to automatically turn off. Tomatoes sluggish evenly, do not burn.

There are several tricks that will help to better dry the tomatoes and make them more tasty. To enhance the taste and more intense aroma, the tomatoes are seasoned with spices during the drying process. It can be seasoned sea salt, finely chopped spicy herbs and allspice. Here the main thing is not to overdo it with salt, otherwise the output will be a salty snack.

If, when drying, the tomatoes began to crack and break strongly, then you can grind them (for example, in a blender), add salt, spices and add them to various soups as seasoning.

Dried tomatoes after sterilization are immediately ready for use. So they can be stored for a very long time.

During storage, it is important to prevent moisture from entering the workpiece and store it in a dark, dry place. If you put the container with tomatoes in the freezer, you can store them for up to 12 months.

What to keep dried tomatoes? These can be standard cans of any capacity, plastic containers, special bags with a zip fastener, tin boxes.

With long storage in the banks with dried tomatoes can start small bugs. To avoid this it is necessary to put bay leaves or some garlic in the storage container.

There are a considerable number of dishes that use dried tomatoes. Dried tomatoes are a great snack that can be used as a finished product or added to various dishes, including as a seasoning.

Consider some recipes using this unusual snack.

Bruschetta with dried tomatoes. To make this dish is quite simple. For its preparation it is necessary to use the following ingredients:

• ½ can of dried tomatoes
• 1 baguette
• 200 grams Mozzarella Cheese
• 4 fresh tomatoes (better to use small oval)
• 4 tbsp. l oil (best to use olive)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 20 grams of basil
• Balsamic vinegar (1/2 tbsp.)
• Salt to taste.

In the absence of baguette, you can use a threaded loaf. It is cut across, the thickness of the pieces 2-4 cm. On a baking tray, place the baking paper. Put the prepared pieces of baguette on it and send it to the oven for baking.

Sun-dried and fresh tomatoes should be chopped, mix them. Then you can add chopped garlic cloves, chopped basil. All this pour sauce from balsamic bite and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Take out toasted bread from the oven. Put the resulting mass on top of it and rub the cheese. Send all this to the oven and bake for another five minutes. During this time, cheese will melt.

Next, consider the traditional Italian recipe for dried tomatoes with cheese in oil. For the preparation we need:

• 300 grams of dried tomatoes
• 200 grams of durum cheese
• 20 grams of basil (about one bunch)
• Olive oil.

Cheese should be grated on a soft grater. A piece of dried cheese is put on a piece of dried tomato, a couple of basil leaves are on top and everything is covered with another piece of tomato.The resulting "sandwiches" should be put in a container and pour oil on top. You should wait two days until the snack is fully prepared.

This dish in oil should be used just as an appetizer. It is customary to serve it for sandwiches, pasta, chips, various meats and red fish.

Apply dried tomatoes with meat. Various kinds of meat go very well with vegetables. Here, for example, a recipe for pork with dried tomatoes.

This hearty meat dish consists of:

• 2 kg of juicy pork
• 60 grams of dried tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp. l sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pork is cut into small plates with a thickness of 3-4 cm. The pieces need to beat off to give juiciness, add salt and pepper. Dried tomatoes are mixed with crushed garlic. On each slice of meat put mass obtained from tomatoes and garlic. The pieces are rolled up in the form of rolls, held together with the help of threads or toothpicks.

The meat is laid out pan (baking dish), smeared with sour cream and sent to the oven for baking. Cooking should be done within 60 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 200 degrees.

The resulting meat rolls will be an excellent main course. If desired, they can be served with canned cucumbers or salted cabbage.

Dried tomatoes make the most delicious sauces. Traditional for an Italian feast pesto sauce is prepared quite simply. Ingredients Required:

• 200 grams of dried tomatoes
• 2 small fresh tomatoes
• 60 grams of durum cheese
• 50-60 grams of any nuts
• 4 tbsp. l oil (better than olive oil)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt
• A couple of leaves of young basil
• Paprika on the tip of a knife

Dried and fresh tomatoes should be finely chopped, add chopped garlic and grated cheese. To the resulting mass add any finely chopped nuts, put the greens and mash in a blender. Then olive oil is poured into the mass.

The sauce goes well with pasta, revealing its new taste.

To learn how to cook dried tomatoes, see the video below.