Most of us don't have quite the right mix of constant sun, available square footage, and patience necessary to make true sun-dried tomatoes at home. But we can take a short-cut!
Slow roasting tomatoes in a low-temperature oven for a few hours accomplishes much the same effect as actual sun-dried tomatoes. I first learned this technique from my friend Angelina of the blog Stitch and Boots, and she puts it best:
The point isn't to completely dry the tomatoes, just to concentrate the flavors. When they're done they'll have a thick, sweet, rich tomato flavor and the texture will be moist but not juicy.
Because the tomatoes still contain a fair bit of moisture, they can't be canned or kept in the pantry like other preserved foods. If you're using them in a few days, you can simply keep them in the fridge. For longer storage, I follow Angelina's suggestion and freeze the tomatoes. A piece of wax paper between each slice lets me take just what I need each time.
I've started making a batch of these oven-dried tomatoes every summer and use them just like sun-dried tomatoes in my cooking. In the middle of winter when fresh tomatoes are months away, a few of these guys in a frittata or on top of a pizza are pure heaven.
• Get the Recipe: Slow Oven-Roasted Tomatoes from Stitch and Boots
Related: Got Tomatoes? Make Tomato Paste
(Image: Angelina Williamson)
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I've been doing this every Sunday for the last few weeks but my method is a little different as I use romas sliced in half and seeded and use much more oil. I then freeze them using the oil from the roasting. But, I'm always up for a trying a new technique so will give this one a go.
Hi,
Good tip, but I disagree a but on the claim that oven roasted tomatoes are similar to sun dried tomatoes. Our family hails from the sun dried tomato capital of Italy in Calabria (the southern most province on the mainland), where the conditions are ideal for drying tomatoes outdoors (viz., consistent, hot and dry, sun, cool nights, and very little atmospheric moisture, that is, no humidity). The end result is a sweet, tangy, and not completely dried tomato (which is primarily used in canning with oil).
Here's our sun dried tomatoes in olive recipe for anyone who's interested, we recommend you import sun dried tomatoes from Italy.
I put them directly in my (clean!) oven racks so I can do more at a time. Obviously, I have drip pans underneath the rack!
I LOVE making slow roasted tomatoes, they are packed with flavor and so juicy even though they are roasted!
This is amazing with Principe Borghese, which is the Italian breed meant for sundrying. I don't own a dehydrator, and I was too impatient to really sun-dry them. Slow roasting was a decent alternative to concentrate the flavors.