How to use sun dried tomatoes?

[Vanisle_BC]

We have tomato slices we literally sun dried, some stored dry and some in a jar of olive oil. Haven't tried rehydrating them so they're very tough to eat 'as is'; quite a workout for the jaw muscles. We wanted to use them on a pizza but decided we'd have to chop them into small pieces. That worked OK for the dry ones (but a workout for the arm wielding the cleaver.) Not so the oily ones; too slippery to work with so they went back in the jar.

How DO folks use dried tomatoes?

The pizza was a big success. The 'sauce' was: A big onion sliced very thin & caramelized in oil from the dried-tomato jar, then joined in the pan by: Tomatoes; some dried & chopped, some canned, and a piece of fresh left in the fridge. 'Some' chopped Garlic, dried Basil, fresh Oregano. Simmered briefly then spread on the dough, topped with 'enough' flaked Parmesan and into the oven. Delicious.

But - How DO folks use dried tomatoes?

[Gary350]

I have not dried tomatoes but I have some old hippie friends that are vegetarians they use to make dry tomatoes. I was told to freeze tomatoes first that makes them easier to slice thin so slices do not fall apart. Then you can lay frozen slices on flat pans to dry and slices hold together a few minutes before they thaw and become soft. They put tomatoes slices on cookie sheets, pizza pans, any type pans then put them in a home built solar dryer in the yard.

I made a few dried tomato slices years ago they were tough like beef jerky but got soft in several minutes then thrown into hot boiling soup. Too tough for salad or sandwich but good for cooking.

Dip dried slices in water then lay them on pizza 30 minutes see if they get soft before cooking.

[pepperhead212]

Usually, it's Mexican sauces I use them in; though they aren't traditional, they make delicious sauces. I usually dry smaller tomatoes, cut in half, or quarters, for the larger ones. 1 lb reduces to 1 oz of leathery tomatoes. I usually take these, and press them into a dry skillet, on medium heat - the same way I toast chiles, and it gives these a flavor as though they were grilled, when fresh; same with tomatillos. I soak them, with a little less water than what came out of them, and blend smooth in the VM, along with some garlic and chiles, and other spices maybe, then fry that sauce over med-high, scraping the pan constantly, for 6-7 min. - the traditional way of making many Mexican sauces. Cooking it down rapidly, like this, intensifies the flavors, and when diluted again, the flavor is pretty much the same as when made with grilled tomatoes. I have also made some chipotle sauces, with similar toasting, soaking, and blending, but then the sauce simmered for several minutes, to blend flavors. Different from using fresh, but still delicious.

[HoneyBerry]

I chop them up and add them to spanish rice.
Dried tomatoes can be used to jazz up any tomato based recipe for more intense tomato flavor.

[applestar]

I haven’t tried this yet, but have heard they can be ground up into powder — Maybe this year.

In the past, I’ve made slip-skinned thin tomato chips. They disappeared quickly as regular snacks. Dehydrated tomato skin is too tough after drying and I don’t like it much in big pieces, but could be puréed or ground as powder for flavor enhancement and thickener.

[SQWIB]

I haven’t tried this yet, but have heard they can be ground up into powder — Maybe this year.

In the past, I’ve made slip-skinned thin tomato chips. They disappeared quickly as regular snacks. Dehydrated tomato skin is too tough after drying and I don’t like it much in big pieces, but could be puréed or ground as powder for flavor enhancement and thickener.

I have dried them and used as a thickener.
I have also made leather from them for my dehydrated backpacking recipes.

[kayjay]

I eat them straight out of the container (dehydrated, dry) like a chewy snack. I've put them on pizza, and if you're trying to get around the chewy texture, maybe try finely chopping them and slowly simmering them in oil for pasta.

[imafan26]

I have not dried any tomatoes myself, but I have used the sun dried tomatoes and the tomatoes that are packed in oil. If you don't like them chewy, they do need to be rehydrated first. I use the ones in oil for salads and the rehydrated ones for pasta sauces, and stews where they will cook long enough to soften well or they will be emulsified in a blender before being added. The tomato flavor is much more intense and salty so a little goes a long way.

[2-Acres-NorthWest]

We dry them, sliced, in a food dehydrator. When they are dry, we put them into plastic bags and freeze them.

We use them on pizza, on sandwiches, and in casseroles. They add a lot of flavor.

[Nyan]

We usually grow Roma or San Marzano tomatoes for drying, as we don't eat many fresh tomatoes. (Grow 'em for the neighbors)
The method I like to use is to quarter lengthwise, de-seed, shake off the excess liquid, and lay them skin side down on pizza pans covered with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and garlic powder and place them on the dash of the car!

In our climate it takes just about a full day to dry them out as the temperature with reach 150 degrees in the car with the windows up. By the end, two gallons of fresh tomatoes will fit into a zip-lock sandwich bag, and that makes storage very nice!

To use we either eat them out of the bag (yummy tomato "raisins"!) or re-hydrate in whatever we are cooking (usually Chili and Meat sauce for us) and they give the meal a more meaty texture. But my favorite is in Gumbo - they are awesome in Gumbo! I make it in big batches and freeze pouches for later, because the sundried tomatoes keep their structure and don't turn to mush like regular ones.

Last century when I worked in a hotel, we used Marsala wine (and sometimes sherry or burgundy depending on the dish) to re-hydrate and then add to the sauce or soup we were making. That may not be appropriate for home cooking as we were simmering/reducing stocks for extended periods of time and few people do that at home anymore.

I think I'll go grab a few out of the freezer right now...

[pepperhead212]

I'm making something with dried tomatoes tonight - also some dried eggplants! I tossed the dried tomatoes in a dry, hot skillet, to toast them, like I do when I use them in Mexican dishes, then soaked them in hot water. I had an equivalent of 3 lbs of tomatoes, but only added water to make 2 1/2 c, and when I blended them to a purée in the VM, I realized that I could have made it even thicker, and this gave me an idea, for something to do with all those dried tomatoes - make paste! I cook down other things to a paste in a NS wok, and it works great. I'll try that soon, after done with all the planting, and post my results.

Has anyone else used them for this?

[Vanisle_BC]

... something to do with all those dried tomatoes - make paste! I cook down other things to a paste in a NS wok, and it works great.

What's an NS wok? We were just wondering how to make our own tomato paste, thick like the stuff in those little grocery-store cans. Pepperhead, it sounds as if you know all about it - please enlighten!

[pepperhead212]

... something to do with all those dried tomatoes - make paste! I cook down other things to a paste in a NS wok, and it works great.

What's an NS wok? We were just wondering how to make our own tomato paste, thick like the stuff in those little grocery-store cans. Pepperhead, it sounds as if you know all about it - please enlighten!

NS is an abbreviation for non-stick. Makes it easy to scrape the stuff around with a silicone spatula.