Dried tomatoes

Dried tomatoes are excellent for use in the preparation of appetisers or as a condiment for pasta dishes. Very versatile, they can be bought online or, provided you have some space available, produced at home.

The best time to prepare dried tomatoes is in summer, when tomatoes are in season and the high heat helps them to dry naturally. In the south of Italy, the tradition is that the tomato, at the peak of its ripeness, is divided in two, salted on the surface and dried in the sun for a few days. Once dehydrated, it will be stored in a cool, dry place for a variety of uses in the kitchen.

Once dried, tomatoes can easily be soaked in water. Simply rinse them under cold running water, then soak them in a pot of water and 1-2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Once soaked, the dried tomatoes can be used for a variety of purposes, typically seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, capers, a clove of garlic and chilli pepper and eaten immediately, or placed in jars and covered with oil to preserve them over time already seasoned and ready for use.

Dried tomatoes, other uses in the kitchen

Dried tomatoes can also be used to make an excellent pesto: once soaked, simply place them in a blender together with pine nuts and a few tablespoons of EVO oil, then chop them up into a sort of cream to be spread on freshly baked homemade bread, piadine, our delicious Mattrasau bread or to be used in pasta/rice salads or to dress fresh summer salads.

Dried tomatoes can also be used as a condiment for spaghetti, linguine or other types of long pasta. Making spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes is very easy, just put a little extra virgin olive oil in a pan, then brown a clove of garlic and the roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Once the pasta is cooked, toss it with the sun-dried tomatoes and season with a few leaves of fresh basil, a sprinkling of oregano and, for those who like it, a few pieces of hot Calabrian chilli pepper.