Dried Tomatoes / Rosii uscate

Directions

Instructions (sun):

1. Clean and slice tomatoes about â…› to ¼ inch thick.

2. Lay the tomatoes on a clean screen or netting (plasă for preventing mosquitoes works well – don’t use metal or anything with fuzz). Cover to keep flies off if necessary.

3. Place tomatoes in a hot, dry place (inside or outside) experimenting with a small amount to see what works best in your environment. You may want to place them over something black.

 

Instructions (oven):

1. Slice tomatoes about â…› to ¼ inch thick.

2. Spread the tomatoes out on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle them with salt to taste.

3. Keep them in the oven with the pilot light on, or with the lowest flame possible leaving the door cracked in order to dry them, not cook them (temperature should not get over 140 F/60 C).

                                                              

Notes: To re-hydrate your Dried Tomatoes for soups, sauces etc. soak them for a short time in hot water. The soaking water can be used later for cooking. In their dry form, these Tomatoes are a nice healthy snack, a good pizza topping and yummy on salads or pasta.

 

The best tomatoes for drying are small with lots of flesh and not much juice/pulp/seeds – like Roma tomatoes. Cherry or grape tomatoes also work well, if you cut them in half and dry them skin-side down. Sun-dried vs. oven-dried tomatoes will have slightly different flavor, the flavor of sun-dried will also depend on your environment. Don’t try to sun-dry tomatoes in humid or cloudy weather – they will mold easily (you may find that oven-drying is all that works where you live). To store the tomatoes after they have dried, place them in an open container or jar, covered with thin netting or a paper towel. Shake the jar daily. Even if they look dry, some of the tomatoes may contain a small amount of moisture which may spoil your batch. You may also string them up after they dry like you would with peppers.