“sun dried” Tomatoes

August membership wines feature Volcanic regions in southern Italy. The South and these volcanic zones are also known for their rich and flavorful tomatoes.

These savory/sweet, jammy tomatoes are tasty with mozzarella, burrata, or just plain on olive oil soaked bread. You can even take them straight from the jar to throw on spaghetti with some basil and parmigiano for a quick comfort meal.

Drying the tomatoes in the oven takes ~3hrs, but it’s passive time so you can go about your day, don’t forget to set the timer so you don’t forget about them in the oven!

Feel free to experiment with different herbs-maybe some oregano, chili flake…but I would advise against using raw garlic in the jar. 

If you have a dehydrator, you can certainly dry the tomatoes in there. The dehydrator really sucks the water out, so if you use it, I would suggest you follow Mariarita Grasso’s tip* at the bottom of the recipe. Mariarita is the producer of Filippo Grasso wines, the rose’ is in the Appassionato membership. If you go to Etna, I’m sending you to her! The wines are amazing, and Mari is a most excellent chef and kind soul.

Pairs with: Filippo Grasso Rosato or Villa Dora Lacryma Christi (August Appassionato Membership) / Agnanum Falanghina (August Novellino Membership)

Equipment

large pot for boiling water· steamer basket · measuring cups · slicing knife · cutting board · parchment paper · baking sheet · rubber coated tongs or a jar lifter · two 8oz jars with sealing lids

Jar Lifter

 Ingredients

5c small tomatoes* (cherry or small reds up to a golf ball in size)- 5c will fill two 8oz jars

1/2c extra virgin tasty olive oil

~1tsp fennel seeds (alla Mariarita Grasso)

½ clove garlic 

sea salt

white vinegar (small amount for wiping down jars)

paper towel or a kitchen towel
* you can try this with heirloom tomatoes… but since they would have to be sliced in a way where not each slice has a protective layer of tomato skin, they will soften more and will lose a lot of texture when curing in the jar. Will still be tasty though! 

Istruzioni (Instructions)

·preheat oven to 250^

·line your baking sheet with parchment paper

·slice the tomatoes in half and lay them out face up on the parchment lined sheet

·sprinkle with sea salt. 

·place in oven for 3 hrs

·once the tomatoes are shriveled (they will still have moisture, and that’s ok), take them out and cool 

Conservare (preserving) 

·get your pot of water with the steamer basket in it up to boil

·Place the tomatoes in the jars, creating layers- you want to pack them in tightly.

·Pack them up to just above the lower lip line of the jar

·Pour the 1/2 c olive oil into a saute pan with the fennel seed and the roughly sliced ½ garlic clove- only keep on heat until garlic become aromatic and begins to sizzle

·once garlic starts to sizzle, take the warm olive oil and pour over the tomatoes in the jar- go slowly so the olive oil can drain to the bottom. The oil should cover the top layer of tomatoes.

·spoon in the extra goods (garlic and fennel) left at the bottom of the pan

·wipe down the edges of the jar with an edge of white vinegar soaked towel to clean any oil residue that might prevent the lid from sealing

·put the lids on the jars, and submerge the jars in the pot of hot water, making sure they are sitting on top of the steamer basket. Water/submersion should be no lower than the lower lip of the jar in order to seal properly ·let boil 15 minutes

·turn off heat.

·you can let jars cool in the pot, or if you have a method to remove safely from the hot water (I use the rubber coated tongs and a cake server for bottom support)- the actual tool for canning/ removing jars from the hot water is the “jar lifter”.

The jars will last at optimal tastiness for up to 1-1.5 yrs in a cool dry pantry. If you can’t wait to crack into the fruits of your labor, wait at least a week before opening for the flavors to enhance and infuse.

*using the dehydrator: if your tomatoes are well dehydrated (though they should still have some moisture…don’t turn them into chips), you have the advantage of “pickling” them before jarring them, giving them a little vinegary kick.

Mari’s Method: in a sauce pot, add 1/2c white vinegar to 2c water, add in dried tomatoes and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the tomatoes, and let dry well on a towel. Then proceed with the above jarring method.