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Sun-Dried Tomatoes in an Electric Dehydrator
Anyone who has tried sun-dried tomatoes at least once couldn't help but fall in love with this rich, concentrated taste that captures all the magnificence of fragrant herbs, garlic, and olive oil. However, a small jar of such pleasure can be quite expensive for your wallet. That's why it's better to spend some time and make sun-dried tomatoes in an electric dehydrator yourself.
Preparation time: 24 hours.
Caloric content: 64 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.
Ingredients
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- tomatoes – 2100 g (firm varieties, for example, 'Slivka')
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- wine vinegar - 70 ml;
- purified water - 500 ml;
- olive oil - 150 ml;
- dried spices (thyme, marjoram) - 1/2 tsp each.
Preparation
- Wash the tomatoes and pat them dry with a towel to help them dry faster.
- Do not cut off the stem but cut the fruit into 4 parts along it. There is no need to remove the seeds, as they, like the pulp, create that very taste.
- Fill each tier of the electric dehydrator with tomato quarters so that they do not touch each other.
- Sprinkle all the preparations with coarse salt - it will not only enhance the flavor but also prevent a dry film from forming on the surface, which would slow down the process significantly. The tomatoes will also release moisture more willingly with the salt.
- Dry the tomatoes at 70 degrees, occasionally switching the tiers of the dehydrator. After 10 hours, the fruits will be about half dried.
- As they dry, some pieces will become dried out earlier - they should be removed to avoid turning them into dry charcoal while others finish. It might be better to say it this way. To check the readiness of the tomatoes: lightly press a slice with a finger, and if the finger comes away clean, not wet, then our product is ready. However, the pieces should not be over-dried; they should remain elastic rather than become brittle. The last pieces will be dried after 19 hours from the start of drying.
- The mass of the tomatoes has decreased significantly, and now they weigh 200 g.
- All pieces have become elastic, bending without breaking. At the same time, they contain no moisture - that’s what we need.
- Prepare the ingredients for further processing the tomatoes. We'll take 200 grams of sun-dried tomatoes and the remaining ingredients from the list.
- Bring the water with vinegar to a boil.
- Boil the tomatoes for 2 minutes. After this, the dry edges of the tomatoes will soften, the pulp will more readily absorb the olive oil, and overall, the preparations will receive additional thermal processing, which will protect the tomatoes from souring.
- Transfer the pieces to a sieve - let all the moisture drain.
- Then place them on a towel and let them dry for about 4 hours.
- In a sterilized jar, pour a spoonful of oil and start layering the sun-dried tomatoes, alternating them with garlic slices, aromatic herbs, and pouring olive oil over them.
- Compact the layers with a spoon and add more oil to the very top of the jar.
- Seal it with a boiled lid.
Such a preparation can be stored even without refrigeration, but if it will be in the refrigerator, then 1/5 of the olive oil should be replaced with sunflower oil, as olive oil solidifies at low temperatures.
After a couple of days, the tomatoes will absorb a significant amount of oil, so it will need to be topped up again to the very top. By using this recipe, you can prepare sun-dried tomatoes in an electric dehydrator in any quantity.
This delicacy is added to salads, pizza, served with meat, pasta, and bruschetta.
