There’s nothing quite like the acid-fruity-summery tang that sun-dried tomatoes deliver to a dish. But the price of premade sun-dried tomatoes makes this “optional” ingredient a less-attractive option. Our answer: Make your own. It takes about 5-6 hours to dry them out in a low oven, so make extra and store them in olive oil for up to a week.
Oven-dried Tomatoes
Adapted from “A16 Food+Wine,” by Nate Appleman and Shelly Lindgren. Makes about 2 cups.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds kosher salt
15 ripe San Marzano or Roma tomatoes
About 1/2cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Spread the salt on a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet, creating a layer 1/2 inch thick. Core the tomatoes, and halve them lengthwise. Arrange the halves, skin side down, in rows on the salt layer. Bake for 6 hours, or until the tomatoes are completely dried and look like sun-dried tomatoes. Remove from the salt (the salt can be reused for another batch), and pack them into a container with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in olive oil, cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
