Thursday, August 22, 2013

"River Cottage Veg Everyday" - Oven-dried Tomatoes


Tomatoes are at their best right now and beautiful, locally grown tomatoes are abundantly available at area farmers´ markets, therefore, as the third recipe in my "River Cottage Veg Everyday" series, I chose the perfect late August recipe, namely "Oven-dried tomatoes".

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall comments his recipe by pointing out that "commercially 'sun-dried' tomatoes are often lip-pursingly intense, sharp and sometimes a little leathery. Home-dried ones are altogether different." And this recipe proves him right. And what I really like is the fact that this recipe is also an easy way to improve somewhat "indifferent" tomatoes by oven-drying them using this recipe.




All you need for these Oven-dried tomatoes is tomatoes, some sugar, a few sprigs of thyme and and some bay leaves (both these herbs grow in the garden), plus some good-quality olive oil and some fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I could not help it and added some rosemary and a bit of garlic as well.

However you will need a few hours time for this recipe since the first step is "to cure" the halved tomatoes for about an hour with a sprinkling of salt and sugar, place them on a rack and wait for juices to drip. After that it is the oven-drying for 4 to 5 hours (if you are like me and prefer the tomatoes "semi-dried") or 7 to 8 hours (if you prefer your tomatoes to be more on the "dry side").




There is no end to the uses that you can put these tomatoes to such as adding them to pesto, frittatas, sandwiches, serving them as part of an antipasto or mezze platter, or even as nibbles with some fresh bread such as ciabatta or breadsticks such as grissinis or alongside some wonderful cheese.




This recipe is not a labor intensive process, but certainly a lengthy one. Once dried, store these tasty gems in the refrigerator with a generous coating of more olive oil.

If you own the English edition of this vegetable cookbook, you will find the recipe for these wonderful Oven-dried Tomatoes on page 304 in the chapter on "Mezze & Tapas".




23 comments:

  1. I am really liking the recipes in this book, so tasty! Beautiful photography Andrea!

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    1. Karen, such a lovely comment, thank you - this might be the next vegetable book for you - the recipes are clearly written with ingredients that are easy to find and with more than delicious results!

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  2. Those tomatoes looks so good! Great photos!!

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  3. Just lovely Andrea. I can already think of so many uses for them too. Pastas, salads, sandwiches...the list goes on and on. Thank you for sharing. Many hugs to you and the girl!

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    1. Monet, oven-dried tomatoes are very versatile and actually a cinch to prepare - all one really needs is some time or rather patience!

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  4. Love your oven dried tomatoes. I agree, the tomatoes are so lovely this time of year. can't wait to try this. Your oven dried tomatoes are so good as is...and I bet they're wonderful on many other dishes too.

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    1. Amy, the oven-dried tomatoes are wonderful in many dishes such as pesto, frittatas or suacs - I like having a jar of them in my fridge for a last minute dinner. You can also control how "dry" you want them by leaving them in the oven for a longer or shorter period of time or adding extra herbs, no matter which way you prepare them, they will always be very flavorful.

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  5. MMM. LUSH, Colorful, & Beautiful.
    like everything over here :) xxx
    I want to devour~

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    1. Kim, thank you for the sweet comment - if you were in the neighbourhood, I would glady share a jar or two of these!

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  6. Gorgeous photos, Andrea! And I love the idea of oven-roosting tomatoes at home. I will pick up some San Marzano tomatoes at the Market on Sunday and make a batch! Aber kein Knoblauch für Mich! :) I have been meaning to ask, what camera are you using? ~ David

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    1. David well, the camera, it is one that you cannot buy new anymore as it is a "vintage" model, the Nikon D50 - hope that helps - the reason why I use this camera is because I can use the different lenses from "pre-digital photography times" - old fashioned, nicht wahr?!

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    2. I, too, am old-fashioned and have a D50 - but it isn't "well" at the moment - it needs a new shutter. So I bought a new D3100 (and I can still use all the pre-digital lenses, too!) and love it. I am definitely a Nikon fan!

      Also, I wanted to tell you that I made slow-roasted tomatoes to put on my Geburtstag dinner! I used San Marzano tomatoes and some thyme. I will send you a photo via Facebook!

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    3. David, your picture and recipe idea looks absolutely wonderful - I am sure you and your guests must have loved this wonderful dish!

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  7. Better than candy! I can't resist roasted tomatoes. OMG
    Love your pics, Andrea. Have a great w/end. xo

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    1. Thank you, Colette, these tomatoes are in fact better than candy and sooo easy to prepare too.

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  8. Die Fotos sind einfach super, wuerde auch gerne wissen, welche Kamera es ist. Gerade bei den Rottönen habe ich haeufig Probleme... Auf den Fotos sieht alles so super lecker aus, dass man am liebsten sofort das Rezept nachkochen möchte... Ich werde mir das Kochbuch mal anschauen...

    Thanks for sharing these beautiful pics and ideas :-)

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    1. Vielen lieben Dank für den netten Kommentar - wie ich oben erwähnte, ist die Kamera ein "wenig" älter, eine Nikon D50, gibt es nur noch gebraucht zu kaufen, aber man kann damit die Objektive aus der "vor-digitalen Zeit" benutzen. Das Kochbuch lohnt sich übrigens durchaus!
      Viele liebe Grüße aus dem verregneten Bonn und bis bald,
      Andrea

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  9. How interesting! I never thought of doing "oven" dried sun tomatoes can be possible but it makes sense. You just have to cook it for a longer time. I love sun dried tomatoes and always have it (and use it often). I should try making it on my own using oven! It must be a nice change from store bought ones.

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    1. Nami, absolutely right - the store bought ones can be a bit leathery or tough but I also know that there are also some really good ones out there. But the advantage of making them yourself is that you can control how "dry" you would like them to be - and they tend to taste a bit like savory candy rather than being tough and chewy. This recipe is certainly worth a try.

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  10. When I lived in Nevada my Sicilian neighbors used to give me jars of tomatoes they had tried in the "real" Nevada sunshine. They were delicious. I wonder if these can measure up. Cannot wait until I receive this book.

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    1. Mary, of course, I do not know whether my oven-dried tomatoes measure up to those of your Sicilain neighbours, I guess it kind of depends on how good the tomatoes are - but even "ho-hum" tomatoes taste pretty darn good after a good round of "oven-drying".

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  11. Galen is the brand of BGC Agriculture and Food Ltd with the aim of carrying Agean’s unique flavors. Galen foods is producing semi dried tomatoes as well.

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