After many attempts, both successful and not so successful, I found a simple and reliable way to dry and preserve tomatoes.
We choose well-ripened, small-sized and fleshy tomatoes. Both red and raspberry or yellow ones will do.
I would like to point out that any tomatoes will be tasty – not necessarily fleshy and ripe. Slightly underripe, with green shades will also do and will be less sweet, which is important for people watching their sugar levels and weight.
You can also use large tomatoes, cutting off their sides so that the skin remains at the bottom of the slice. The cut parts of large tomatoes can be used for other preserves or for making juice.
We pick out the tomato cores with a teaspoon. I don’t cut out the place where the tomato is attached to the stem, as this doesn’t affect the final result – everything dries out and isn’t felt, saving time.
I tried drying them both with and without the cores. The tomatoes taste better with the cores. To remove excess moisture, you can simply break the integrity of the halves with a spoon and drain the liquid if the tomatoes are very juicy.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and herbs. You only need a little salt – it tastes better. Imagine that this is a salad, and sprinkle less salt than you would use for a salad. You can use a mixture of salt and garlic, so that you don’t have to add garlic to the jar later. But it tastes better with fresh garlic.
The herbs must be fresh – dry ones will burn when dried, an unpleasant smell and bitterness will appear. I use a mixture of basil, oregano, mint and parsley.
We send the tomatoes to the dryer for 10 hours at a temperature of 75 degrees. In the process, you can sort out the slices, selecting those that have dried out earlier. I don’t do this — the over-dried slices in the general mass in the jar absorb the missing moisture and everything becomes normal.
You can determine readiness like this: take out a slice and press it with your fingers – it should be flexible and elastic, and when pressed, no juice should come out. It is important to consider that the residual liquid behaves differently when hot and cold, especially at such temperatures. It is easier to check cooled slices.
Cool the tomatoes and put them in dry clean jars, sprinkling with chopped garlic. I put everything in one large jar for more uniform preservation. The 1.5 liter jar holds 10 kg of tomatoes.
Fill the jar with oil – a mixture of olive and sunflower. You can use cold-pressed oil, pouring in COLD oil.
Fill the jar to the top and seal loosely. Store the preserves in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. I prefer not to store them that long.
I use another method: I freeze tomatoes. The jar will stand in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, then I will add oil – it will be aromatic and tasty, ideal for salads. I will put the tomatoes in molds or bags and put them in the freezer.
Did you like the recipe? Write in the comments. I’ll be glad to hear your recommendations!