Baked sun-dried tomatoes 

Dried Tomatoes made in the oven are an alternative to the classic drying in the sun. Not everyone lives in warmer regions where the summer sun facilitates this process, and not everyone can afford a dryer, but with the oven at home you can do it anyway. Times change, of course, because if it takes three days in the sun, 12 to 15 hours will be enough with the oven and the final result will be very similar. Even just to try, once in a lifetime, to achieve something that until before was unthinkable. Consider that for every kilo of fresh tomatoes you will get 100/200 grams of dried tomatoes that you can flavor to taste.

 Ingredients

750 g. of Tomatoes

Fine Salt to taste 

EVO Oil to taste 

Procedure

Take the tomatoes, which must be perfectly ripe but still firm. Cut them in half lengthwise, place them on the oven grid or even on a net, the important thing is that they can receive heat and air evenly, then salt them abundantly. Bake with the oven at 65/70 degrees: the tomatoes should not cook but only lose the liquids, having the foresight to leave the door slightly open, using a ball made with kitchen aluminum or even with a wooden spoon, provided that you do not have an oven prepared to be used with the valve open. This serves to bring out the moisture caused by the liquids of the tomatoes. After about 3 hours you will begin to see that the tomatoes will begin to wither. Over time this effect is more and more evident. The perfect drying in this case is subjective because there are those who still prefer them a little soft but the times are between 12 and 15 hours. At this point the tomatoes are ready to be put in oil and flavored to taste. Take the jars previously sterilized and begin to store the tomatoes in order trying to leave as little space as possible between one and the other. Also include the aromas you prefer: garlic, anchovy, basil, chili, oregano, etc ... etc... You can also make each jar different. Pour the oil to cover. The important thing is that you do not close the jars before about ten days: any residual air will rise to the surface and go away and probably you will need to top up the oil.

Notes

I really want to give you this small, but valuable advice. For the preparation of dried tomatoes, I preferred to use products (where possible) safe from organic farming, because for a healthy life it is always better to be cautious and check the origin of the foods we consume. 😉