Sun-dried tomatoes are typical of southern Italy, and particularly of Sicily. There, the sun is used to draw moisture from the tomatoes, allowing them to be stored in the open air.
Tomatoes that have been only partially dried are called sun-dried tomatoes and must therefore be preserved in a bath of olive oil.
In my recipe for sun-dried cherry tomatoes, the drying is done in the oven since not all of us are lucky enough to live in Sicily!
I used cherry tomatoes because that’s the variety I planted and harvested in abundance. That said, you can easily adapt this recipe for larger tomatoes, which you’ll need to cut into quarters rather than piercing with a fork as shown here.
Once prepared and stored in jars, these sun-dried cherry tomatoes will be a hit at a cocktail party—served on toast, on pizza, in quiches, or even in a salad.
And finally, to make the most of this preparation, you can use the oil from the jars as a base for a flavorful vinaigrette.
Hello.
Before I get started, should I cut the tomatoes (from my garden) into quarters?
And once I’ve opened the jar, how long do I have to enjoy this delicious recipe?
Thank you
Hello Martine, this recipe is designed for cherry tomatoes. Because they’re small, you can leave them whole and just prick them, or cut them in half. If you want to use regular tomatoes, then you’ll need to cut them into at least 4 slices and remove the flesh and seeds so they can dry properly. In that case, you’ll need to keep an eye on the cooking time, as the times I’ve given are for cherry tomatoes.
Hello again, Sylvain;
Thank you for your response to my first question.
But regarding the second one: how many days after opening the jar do I have to enjoy the cherries?
Thank you for your reply;
Martine
Oh, right, I forgot—sorry! Tomatoes will keep for a few days in the fridge after opening; it mostly depends on whether you keep them covered in oil after you start eating them. If any of them are exposed to the air, they’ll quickly develop little white spots. So I recommend adding oil if you keep a jar open and have started taking out tomatoes (and the original oil, which is really good!).