How to dehydrate and hydrate tomato
How to dehydrate and hydrate tomato
If you like tomatoes in all their forms, you will love dehydrated and/or hydrated tomatoes. It is ideal to accompany grilled meats, pastas and salads, or to prepare appetizers, canapés and sandwiches. So if you are looking to surprise your loved ones and your own stomach with a different and delightful flavor in your meals, this recipe is for you. Plus the way both processes work, it can be fun to make. Say no more, and we will share the information with you:
🍅Dehydration of tomatoes:
To prepare dried tomatoes, tomatoes of uniform size and color are selected. We recommend using pear tomatoes, and the smaller and sweeter they are, the better they will be.
-They are washed and DRIED (it is important) with a clean cloth, cut in half lengthwise and sprinkled with fine salt.
-Place them in the SUN with the seeds facing upwards on a clean, flat surface (or better on a rack, which can be the oven rack, for example). The only problem that can arise is that of insects (wasps, ants...) so look for a location where it is easy to protect the tomatoes with a cloth or metal mosquito net.
-At night the tomatoes are removed to a dry place until the next morning. It is important that they do not receive humidity.
-It will take 4 to 7 days in summer, or as long as necessary in any season until the pieces become brittle.
-Once dried, they keep well in a cool place without humidity, and better if they are stored in open air, for example, wrapped in a porous paper, such as newspaper, or a basket.
🍅HOW TO MAKE OVEN DRIED TOMATOES:
This method is much faster, although the drying is less efficient and the tomatoes are preserved for a shorter time.
Put the tomatoes on a baking dish in the same way as in the previous explanation. Put them in the oven at 150 ºF for a minimum of 6 hours, turning them from time to time. It is best to use the hot air function. When the tomatoes have lost their moisture and are hard and not sticky, remove them.
🍅How to hydrate dried tomatoes:
To hydrate the dried tomatoes when we are going to use them, soak them for 15 minutes in hot or cold water overnight or for at least a few hours (until they are tender). It will also depend on the size of the tomatoes. But also, we can hydrate them in oil and you can make a thousand and one different combinations with spices and herbs to give them your special touch. Let's get to it:
Ingredients to hydrate dried tomatoes for 4 people.
-5 oz of dried tomatoes
-Extra virgin olive oil to fill the jar
-2 cloves of garlic
-1 dried chili pepper
-0.17 oz of black peppercorns
-Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme...To taste. We use Pampa's Herbs by Nativo Spices
The first thing we will do is to hydrate the dried tomatoes. To do this, fill a bowl with hot water, add the tomatoes and leave them for 1 hour to hydrate. After the hour, remove the tomatoes, drain them and dry them with absorbent paper.
In a sterilized glass jar, both the jar and the lid (never use rusty or bulging lids), add a good extra virgin olive oil and the spices: Pampa’s Herb by Nativo Spices, or chili, peppercorns, oregano, chopped garlic cloves, thyme and salt.
To sterilize the jars and lids, boil them in a pot of water for 10-15 minutes. Then, drain them well and place them upside down on a clean kitchen towel until they are dry. Next, we place a layer of tomatoes and add the spices and olive oil again. And so, as in layers, we fill the container, until we leave the last 2 cm of the jar free, which we will finally cover with oil.
We close the jars well and we put them in a pot with boiling water covered almost up to the top. Let them boil for at least 15 minutes and then remove them from the pot and turn them upside down until they cool down.
When they are cold, we check that no jar leaks, which means that the lid is in bad condition or that the lid has not sealed correctly.
As we have seen, the preparation of these tomatoes is very simple. After a few days we will be able to appreciate their flavor and use them in many recipes. We can use the tomatoes in toasts, salads, pasta dishes, pizzas, breads, etc... We can also use the olive oil that will have a spectacular flavor and aroma.
If you liked these recipes, share them on your social networks. Also, you can let us know by direct message if you do, so we can send you a discount on your next purchase of Nativo Spices.
