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Dried Tomatoes at Home in the Oven
Instructions
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly, pat them dry with paper towels and cut them into halves or quarters depending on size. You can scoop out the seed chambers with a spoon – this way the tomatoes dry faster and turn out meatier. I use the "Slivka", "Lady's Fingers" or "Rio Grande" varieties – meaty, with a minimum of juice.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with coarse sea salt and a mixture of ground peppers. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil – sunflower oil would give a flat, characterless taste that is not Italian. Lay them out on a baking tray cut side up, without overlapping. Dry them in the oven for 2–5 hours at 100 °C in "Convection" mode – convection matters because it keeps the air circulating and dries the tomatoes evenly.
The dried tomatoes are ready – there should be no liquid left in the centres. A finished dried tomato shrinks to roughly a third of its original size, turns dark red and feels leathery to the touch, yet keeps a slight flexibility – neither dry nor brittle.
Pack the finished tomatoes into clean, dry jars and pour over olive oil so that it covers them by 5-7 mm. The oil protects the tomatoes from drying out, but it is not a preservative. Dried garlic and herbs are best added to a portion just before serving: with them, the jar has to be eaten within 4 days.
Close the jar with a lid and put it in the fridge: tomatoes in oil without garlic or herbs keep there for up to 6 months. For winter, it is safer to freeze dried tomatoes without oil in zip-lock bags.
Tips
- 1
Choose meaty tomato varieties such as "Slivka", "Lady's Fingers" or "Rio Grande" – they have less juice and more "flesh" for proper drying.
- 2
The drying time of 2–5 hours depends on the size and juiciness of the tomatoes – go by the look and texture, not by the minutes.
- 3
Add dried Italian herbs – basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary – for an authentic Mediterranean aroma. Pesto sauce is made on a similar principle.
- 4
Keep the jar in the fridge only: oil shuts out the air, and at room temperature botulism bacteria can grow in that environment. Without garlic or herbs, tomatoes in oil keep in the fridge for up to 6 months; with them, for no more than 4 days.
FAQ
Can I dry tomatoes in a vegetable dehydrator? +
Yes, the process is exactly the same – use a dehydrator with temperature control set to 70–80 °C. The drying time will increase to 6–12 hours depending on the power of the dehydrator. Go by the look – there should be no liquid in the centres, but the texture stays flexible. A dehydrator is more economical than an oven in terms of electricity during long drying and does not "tie up" the oven. You can also dry tomatoes in direct sunlight (the classic Italian method) – this needs 2–3 hot, dry days without rain.
How do I use dried tomatoes in cooking? +
Serve them with soft cheeses (mozzarella, brie, goat's cheese) – a classic Italian appetiser. Add them to pizza (especially "Margherita" or "Four Cheese"), focaccia, bruschetta, or ciabatta with pesto. Use them to stuff chicken breast, as a filling for pork rolls, or in pasta sauces (they go well with basil and cheese). They are wonderful in salads with rocket, mozzarella and olives. Do not throw away the oil from the tomatoes – cook pasta in it or use it to dress salads.
How long do dried tomatoes keep? +
In oil without garlic or herbs, in the fridge, for up to 6 months; the tomatoes must stay completely covered with oil. With garlic or herbs in the oil, for no more than 4 days in the fridge: that is the advice of Oregon State University Extension, and for long-term storage such mixtures are frozen. Tomatoes in oil are never kept at room temperature or in a pantry: the oil shuts out the air, and botulism bacteria can grow in that environment. For the longest storage, freeze the tomatoes without oil in zip-lock bags, for up to 6 months. If the oil turns cloudy, or there is mould or a fermented smell, throw away the whole jar.
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