Sun-drenched, juicy, bright, healthy and generally irreplaceable product on our table is a tomato. With it you can cook not just a salad, but a spicy and rather exotic snack - sun-dried tomatoes. In our article you will learn how to cook fragrant and tender sun-dried tomatoes at home.

How to cook sun-dried tomatoes at home

Tomatoes dried in the scorching sunshine are a Mediterranean appetizer. Many believe that it is impossible to cook it with us, because we do not have such conditions. But thanks to the kitchen appliances, our housewives still learned how to make this delicious dish. Depending on the method of processing tomatoes, they can be dried and baked. The latter cook faster and after drying continue to remain fleshy, and it takes longer to prepare the dried ones.

At home, dried dishes use a certain type of tomato. When choosing, the main thing to consider is that the vegetable should be dense, not too juicy, otherwise you will get only dried skin. The best choice would be plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and small “grape” tomatoes.

Sun-dried tomatoes are a delicious snack that is good in itself, and you can also cook meat, fish, pasta, pizza, bruschettas and salads with them.

They can be prepared in the oven, in the electric dryer and in the microwave. To do this, you need two kilos of tomatoes, olive oil, herbs (dry and fresh), a little salt, pepper and garlic cloves.

Sun-dried tomatoes in the oven

  1. We cut small tomatoes in half, large into four parts.
  2. We cover the baking sheet with baking paper and put the vegetables upside down, as densely as possible to each other.
  3. In a bowl we connect 1.5 tsp. salt, 2.5 tsp sugar and 1 tsp. pepper. The amount of the latter can be reduced or increased - it all depends on your taste. But granulated sugar is necessary, even if the tomatoes are very sweet to taste. During the drying process, they lose their sweetness and become acidic.
  4. Sprinkle each slice thoroughly with a mixture, then sprinkle with herbs, spread the garlic cloves (5-7 pieces) and pour olive oil on it.
  5. We send tomatoes to a two-hour oven heated to one hundred degrees if you want to get baked vegetables. Dried ones will require a fever 20 degrees higher and a time of 4 to 5 hours. If your oven does not support convection, the oven door needs to be slightly opened.

Sun-dried tomatoes should be stored in glass jars in the cold for up to several weeks. To do this, pour a little oil into the container, put the garlic passed through the press with chopped fresh herbs into the bottom. Then lay the dried slices in layers with chopped garlic and herbs. The voids must be filled with oil. To increase the shelf life, you can add balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes (in a half-liter jar - two tablespoons of vinegar).

In the dryer for vegetables

It is easier to make sun-dried tomatoes in the dryer, but the process will be long. The larger the vegetable, the longer the time (from 9 to 17 hours). The main advantage of the dryer is the accuracy of the temperature regime and the uniform distribution of heat.

Tomatoes are also cut and put on the pallet with the skin down. On one pallet you can fit up to a kilogram of vegetables. The temperature is 70 degrees, sometimes pallets will need to be interchanged.

The main thing is not to dry the vegetables. If juice does not flow from tomatoes, then they are ready.

How to dry tomatoes in the microwave

If you urgently need sun-dried tomatoes for the recipe, then use the microwave to cook them. To do this, lay out slices of tomatoes on a flat dish, send them to the microwave, select the maximum power on the device and set the time to five minutes. After the signal, we are not in a hurry to get vegetables, but give them time to stand in the oven, about ten minutes.

Then we take out the products, pour the juice and dry again at high power for three minutes. After the signal we wait three minutes, take out the ready-made tomatoes, arrange them in jars and then follow the instructions described above.

Sun-dried tomato and chicken salad

Sun-dried tomato and chicken salad is a light, tasty and healthy snack. It ideally combines vegetables rich in vitamins and dietary meat, so after such a dinner you should not be afraid for your figure.

Ingredients:

  • 370 g chicken;
  • 110 ml of oil;
  • 60 g of sun-dried tomatoes;
  • Cherry tomatoes;
  • bell pepper;
  • basil;
  • 70 g of pine nuts;
  • 30 ml of lemon juice.

Cooking method:

  1. We cut the bird fillet into thin sticks and fry until golden.
  2. Then mix with sun-dried tomatoes and slices of cherry.
  3. We season the salad with a mixture of olive oil, citrus juice and spices. Sprinkle with basil and pine nuts.

Delicious pizza recipe

Italian dishes with sun-dried tomatoes can be very different. And what is Italy without pizza? We offer a simple but very tasty pizza option that your family will definitely appreciate.

Ingredients:

  • 280 g of flour;
  • 40 ml of olive oil;
  • 150 ml of water;
  • 6 g of dry yeast;
  • a spoon of granulated sugar;
  • half as much salt;
  • 180 g minced meat;
  • sun-dried tomatoes (10 pcs.);
  • 240 g of mozzarella;
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar.

Cooking method:

  1. The first step is to make a pizza dough. To do this, dissolve the yeast in warm water, pour sugar, salt and pour oil. Then we introduce the flour and knead the dough. We give him time to relax.
  2. Fry minced meat for the filling
  3. Then we roll out the dough in a circle and put it on a baking sheet with parchment.At the base we distribute dried tomatoes, then - minced meat and from above - Mozzarella. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes (temperature - 200 ° C).
  4. Pour the finished pizza with balsamic vinegar and decorate the cherry.

Cooking bruschetta

Bruschetta is a simple traditional dish in Italy. The basis of the appetizer is a baguette, which is served with various ingredients, including dried tomatoes.

Ingredients:

  • one baguette;
  • sun-dried tomatoes (7 pcs.);
  • 60 g feta;
  • basil (fresh or dried).

Cooking method:

  1. Cut the baguette into slices, each soak in olive oil and put in the oven for literally ten minutes (temperature - 180 ° C).
  2. Grind dried vegetables in strips. If they are very small, then you can leave them whole.
  3. We also grind basil and feta.
  4. On the baguette slices, we just lay out the ingredients: first the tomatoes, then fetu and the basil on top.

Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes

Pasta is a piece of Italy on your table. To prepare such a dish is quite simple and quick, the main thing is to choose high-quality pasta and properly cook them. In the pasta, along with dried tomatoes, you can add any other vegetables, as well as meat or seafood.

Before proceeding to the recipe, we will tell you how to cook pasta.

100 g of product requires a liter of water and 10 g of salt. Italians even have a rule like “1110”, that is, 1000 (water) + 100 (pasta) + 10 (salt).

For the dish we take spaghetti. They need to be laid only in boiling water with tips in boiling water. We find the cooking time on the packaging, then for the dish we need to cook pasta al dante, that is, until it is completely softened. Finished products are not washed.

Ingredients:

  • 170 g of spaghetti;
  • 140 g smoked brisket;
  • 80 g of sun-dried tomato;
  • two garlic cloves;
  • 120 g of cheese;
  • fresh basil.

Cooking method:

  1. Cut the smoked brisket of any meat into strips and fry until golden. Then add the chopped garlic and fry for two minutes.
  2. We spread the dried tomatoes and after a minute add the boiled spaghetti. Season with salt, pepper, mix and extinguish the fire in a minute.
  3. Sprinkle pasta with grated cheese and basil.

Mozzarella Appetizer

Mozzarella cheese has a special taste and has a fibrous structure. Many people compare it with Russian Adyghe cheese, but the difference between them is enormous. The cheese is not salty to taste, so it goes well with various ingredients.

Ingredients:

  • 220 g "Mozzarella".
  • 120 g of fresh salad "Iceberg", "Cron" and "Romano".
  • 200 g of sun-dried tomatoes.

Cooking method:

  1. In a salad bowl, mix lettuce leaves, then put the sun-dried tomatoes and cubes of “Mozerella” to them, mix.
  2. As a dressing, you can use oil from sun-dried tomatoes or sauce from a spoon of Italian "Pesto" and two tablespoons of olive oil.

Original bread with tomatoes

Italian bread can be very different, it all depends on the technology of preparation and flavoring. Today we will try to bake Italian ciabatta with dried tomatoes.

Ingredients:

  • 420 g flour;
  • 320 ml of water;
  • 1 tsp. salt and yeast;
  • 60 g of sun-dried tomato.

Cooking method:

  1. Knead the dough out of water, flour, salt and yeast. Leave the base for 12 hours.
  2. We roll it out in an even layer, distribute dried tomatoes over it.
  3. Then you need to fold the layer with an envelope and cut it in half. We keep the obtained cakes in an hour warm, and then bake in the oven (time - 30 minutes, temperature - 220 ° C).

Fritters with cheese, dill and sun-dried tomatoes

Spicy pancakes with sun-dried tomatoes will be your favorite meal in your family. They can be served with sour cream, any sauce and vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • a glass of fermented baked milk (varenets);
  • five tablespoons of flour (wheat);
  • two tablespoons of flour (corn);
  • one egg;
  • 70 g of cheese;
  • 60 g of sun-dried tomatoes;
  • a bunch of dill;
  • 2 tsp Sahara;
  • 1 tsp baking powder.

Cooking method:

  1. Shake the egg with fermented baked milk, add a sweetener and a pinch of salt. Then we introduce all the flour with the cultivator.
  2. We put grated cheese, chopped tomatoes and dill. Mix the dough thoroughly.
  3. We spread it on a hot oil with a spoon and fry the pancakes on both sides until golden brown.

How to fry with beef

Sun-dried tomatoes perfectly complement the taste of meat dishes.

We offer one of the options for a delicious and hearty beef dish.

Ingredients:

  • 700 g of young beef;
  • sun-dried tomatoes (8 pcs.);
  • large onion;
  • pitted olives (8 pcs.);
  • 60 ml of white wine (dry).

Cooking method:

  1. We cut the meat into small sticks and fry in oil until a crispy crust, then put the beef in a dish.
  2. In the same oil we pass the onion half rings. After three minutes, add a spoonful of Provence herbs, pour in the wine and after two minutes return the meat. Pour water (broth) so that it reaches the middle layer of meat, salt.
  3. Stew the beef for 40 minutes, then add the rings of olives and thin strips of sun-dried tomato, wait another five minutes and turn off the heat.

Sun-dried tomatoes do not have to be mixed with other ingredients, they can be served as an independent snack, for example, with crispy croutons, smeared with butter, and basil leaves.

Related:More from the author: