Sun-Dried Tomatoes (in the Oven)

Have you ever bought sundried tomatoes to use in a pasta dish or salad? They are just bursting with tomato taste, but they can also be a bit dear at the grocery or specialty store. With all the tomatoes we've gotten this year, it's easy to make your own at home—you don't even need the sun.

For years I made sundried tomatoes from the roma tomatoes I grew in my backyard. They are the best choice, but this year I found those small round tomatoes (about 2" in diameter) we get from the Enright Ridge CSA are great candidates for drying. I took my share of tomatoes in those small ones last week, and dried a batch of them over the weekend.

Just a few simple steps will get you a delicious bag (or jar) of sundried tomatoes, too. And, when you open a jar of tomatoes preserved in oil in the middle of February—well, let's just say Proust's cookie has nothing on these little jewels for conjuring up summers past in the dead of winter.

Sundried Tomatoes

Small tomatoes--roma or other varieties
Foil
Baking sheets
Salt

Optional Ingredients for Canning Dried Tomatoes
Garlic cloves
Basil leaves
Peppercorns
Olive oil

Cut the tomatoes almost in half, so they open up like a book. Line cookie trays or baking sheets with foil, arrange tomatoes cut side up in rows, and sprinkle salt over the tomatoes.

Put the trays in an oven on low heat (180 to 200 degrees works well) and leave in heated oven for about 12 hours (doing this overnight is a good idea). When the tomatoes are dried (but not burnt), you will probably find some that are not entirely dry but still have some mush in them. That's okay if you are willing to pack them in oil and process them.

So, take any completely dry tomatoes and store them in an airtight container. You can keep these in the pantry and use them for cooking right away. Then, take the ones that have a little softness still and pack them in one or more pint canning jars. Add a peeled garlic clove, a couple of basil leaves, and a few peppercorns. Add olive oil to fill to about a half-inch from the top of the jar. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to push the tomatoes aside and let the olive oil get down between the fruits. Add a little more olive oil as needed, wipe the tops of the jar, put on the caps and bands, and process in a hot water bath for about 15 minutes.

When you open those jars in February, you have great tasty summer tomatoes for pasta, and you can use the flavored oil for salads and marinades.