Recipe for oven-dried and long-baked tomatoes

This recipe for long-baked tomatoes is an excellent example of how sometimes the simplest is the tastiest. Here, tomatoes are baked with a little oil and possibly a little spices. After a few hours in the oven, they are packed with flavor. It takes a while to make oven-dried tomatoes, so a good idea is to make a large batch when you have to start anyway. One tip is to use the residual heat from the oven if it has been running while cooking other food. Here you can put the tomatoes in a hot oven that has been turned on at around 200 degrees and turn off the oven. About 8 hours later (or just the next morning), the oven-dried tomatoes will have the perfect flavor and consistency. 

TIP: Also try this recipe: Italian bruschetta with tomatoes, tomato soup with gorgonzola cheese or brunch eggs with tomatoes and beans

How do you make slow-roasted tomatoes?

Long-time baked tomatoes are made by oven-drying tomatoes at low heat, until they are “semi-dried”. The consistency becomes chewy with a good bite but still juicy. Cherry tomatoes are an obvious choice for long-time baked tomatoes, as the small tomatoes require shorter cooking time of just a few hours. You can also use other varieties of tomatoes, but larger tomatoes will also require significantly longer cooking time.

The cooking time depends on the tomatoes you use, but also on the consistency you want your oven-dried tomatoes to have. You can leave them relatively juicy, or let them dry out almost completely. Experiment and keep an eye on them as you go so they don't burn.

Uses of oven-dried tomatoes

Oven-dried tomatoes taste great on their own - like a nice little tapas serving. However, we also love to put them on top of salads such as this lovely spelt salad, where the tomatoes are accompanied by mozzarella. You can also use the long-baked tomatoes to add extra flavor to sauces such as this bolognese sauce. Also try substituting them with sun-dried tomatoes in recipes such as this chickpea salad, where they are on the ingredient list. 

Shelf life and storage of long-term baked tomatoes

The shelf life of your long-baked tomatoes depends on how you store them. You can either put them in a box in the refrigerator, and here they will last for about a week. If you would like to extend the shelf life, you can make long-baked tomatoes in oil - just like you know them from the supermarket. Put the cooled, oven-dried tomatoes in a scalded jam jar, and pour the oil over them. Close the jar, and here the tomatoes can keep for several months in a cool, dark place.