Yulia Vysotskaya's recipe for sun-dried tomatoes for the winter

It's impossible to imagine our daily lives without tomatoes, one of the most popular vegetables. But today we'll be moving away from the usual recipes using fresh tomatoes and let's prepare sun-dried tomatoes, which will make a rather piquant appetizer on any dinner table. We present to you a recipe for sun-dried tomatoes from Yulia Vysotskaya.

Choosing the best tomato varieties for drying

Small, elongated varieties are best suited for drying. The most popular of these varieties are black Black Moor tomatoes and De Barao Black. However, for a more colorful appearance after cooking, it's best to use the Roma, Kolokolchik, and Chelnok varieties. If you prefer larger tomatoes, the Dyadya Styopa variety is a good choice. And the Bochka Medya variety produces the sweetest sun-dried tomatoes.

Avoid juicy varieties with a lot of liquid. After drying, nothing will remain but the skin.And when choosing large varieties, you'll run into the problem that all that's left of the fruit will be lattices.

Necessary spices

You can use any spices you like during cooking. However, for a bright and rich flavor, we recommend adding spices such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil.

How to make sun-dried tomatoes from Yulia Vysotskaya

As mentioned earlier, sun-dried tomatoes are a great appetizer for any dinner table. What we didn't mention is that this is true primarily during the winter.

Sun-dried tomatoes are a great winter snack. On cold winter evenings, you can enjoy delicious tomatoes with your family and feel like you're in Italy for a moment.

And with recipes from Russian TV star and excellent chef Yulia Vysotskaya, we'll show you how to quickly and deliciously make the best sun-dried tomatoes.

There are two ways to cook this marvelous dish: in the sun and in the oven. Of course, the original Italian recipe called for cooking this appetizer in the sun. But in our climate, that's practically impossible. Therefore, the Italian recipe has been adapted to suit our needs.

In the sun

Required ingredients: tomato – 1 kg, hot pepper – half a pod, garlic – 1 clove, olive oil, spices.

Cooking steps:

• The first step is to wash the fruit and let it dry completely. Next, cut it in half and remove the stems, if necessary.
• The halves should be cleared of seeds and cores.
• Place the tomatoes cut side up on a board or baking sheet, add salt to taste, cover with gauze and leave in the sun for a week.
• Completely dried tomatoes that have already become hard should be removed from the sun.
• Place pepper rings on the bottom of a clean jar, then layer the tomatoes, placing garlic between the rows and adding spices.
• Next, fill the jar with tomatoes with oil and place it in a cool, dry place. The jars should sit there for about two weeks before they're ready to be enjoyed.

In the oven

Ingredients required for preparation: tomato – 1 kg, garlic – 2 cloves, vegetable oil – 200 ml, salt, pepper, spices.

Cooking steps:

• The first step is to wash the tomatoes and let them dry, then cut them in half, and especially large ones into quarters.
• To cook tomatoes faster, remove the stems and cores.
• Next, prepare a baking sheet. Line it with parchment paper and arrange the fruit halves in tightly packed rows, adding salt, pepper, and spices to taste.
• Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 60-100 degrees Celsius (140-212 degrees Fahrenheit) and leave for 5-8 hours. Smaller pieces will take less time to dry, and you can open the oven door slightly to speed up the evaporation.
• The tomatoes should be moist and easily bendable.
• Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil, garlic slices, seasonings, and spices into the bottom of a sterilized jar. Next, layer the tomatoes, with the spices and garlic in between. Seal the jar tightly for a week, after which the dried tomatoes are ready to be enjoyed.

Tips for storing tomatoes

It's best to store sun-dried tomatoes frozen. This way, they won't lose their impeccable flavor and aroma, won't spoil, and you can use them later in other dishes. You can also store the tomatoes canned in jars in a cool, dry place. Furthermore, prolonged storage in jars makes the tomatoes more flavorful.

Uses of sun-dried tomatoes

Dried tomatoes are used both as an appetizer with bread and cheese, and in baked goods, finely chopped into the dough. Italians also add tomatoes to pizza and tomato paste. Tomatoes can also be found in a wide variety of salad recipes and pair well with meat and fish.