Partially-dried tomatoes

[Bill/SFNM]

We've hit the inflection point in the tomato season where the supply of tomatoes from the garden is exceeding our ability to utilize them. The latest batch is so flavorful, I was considering how best to use it on pizzas. They are very juicy, possibly too juicy to use raw. I usually make a slightly-cooked sauce, just enough to thicken without driving off too much of the delicate flavors.

Lately, I've been cranking all kinds of different things out of the dehydrator, so I decided to slice and dry the latest batch just enough to eliminate some of the excess moisture. After 2 hours @ 135F in the dehydrator, they were still soft, but with a sweetness and concentration of flavor that was beyond my expectations. I would guess that about 50% of the moisture had been removed.

The first pizza was not a success. I had placed the tomatoes as the top layer and they were mostly burned by the time the crust was baked. So for the next pizza, instead of disks of fresh mozzarella, I covered the tomato slices the best I could with a layer of grated, buttery Oaxacan cheese. Before adding the cheese, I sprinkled the tomatoes with some salt and pepper and drizzled some olive oil on it.  This pie was got a standing ovation.

I'm sure this is very easy to do if you don't have a dehydrator. A warm oven with the door ajar should work fine.

Next batch I'll do a side-by-side test of totally fresh slices on the top vs. partially dehydrated underneath the cheese.  

[TXCraig1]

I don't do it very often, but I like to take cherry tomato halves and arrange them skin side down on a bed of rock salt and roast off about half the moisture at a low temperature in the oven. They are great on pizza, burrata, or whatever.

[norma427]

Bill,

Your tomatoes and pizza both look great! 

Thanks for your post about how to make partially-dried tomatoes. 

Norma

[weemis]

Sounds lovely, Bill!

There's an upscale restaurant here in columbus that does ODTs (Oven Dried Tomatoes). Their process is to cut tomatoes in half, face them down, brush the skin side with OO and then drizzle with salt. Put them in the oven, as you described with the oven door ajar. When they're done, the skins come right off (with help from the oil/salt) and they're delicious!

[The Dough Doctor]

Bill;
We are faced with the same dilemma at home too with more tomatoes coming in than we can use, so we are doing the exact same thing that you are doing, except that after partial dehydration we put them into vacuum bags, pull a vacuum and seal, then store in the freezer. They appear to hold up quite well this way, so when the snow flies (if we get snow this winter) we can still enjoy the fruits (literally) of our garden. We have also been putting up sweet and jalapeno peppers this way too.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[Bill/SFNM]

Thanks, Tom. I'll definitely try sealing/freezing some of the excess. We're also getting a good crop of chiles. I'll give that a try.

So for those of you with a dehydrator, one of my secret weapons is to partially dry slices of fresh pineapple - a thin layer of crisp on the outside, an explosive burst of juicy sweetness on the inside. Even mediocre pineapple comes out great. When making tacos al pastor, the semi-dehydrated pineapple caramelizes perfectly. So good.

[TXCraig1]

I just picked this guy. Now all I need is a dehydrator. 

[The Dough Doctor]

Bill;
Our basil and oregano have been going great guns too this summer so we puree the excess in a blender with just enough of a 50/50 blend of canola and olive oil to make a puree (looks like a green milkshake), we then pour this into margarine tubs and freeze. Later we use as you would fresh basil or oregano, or we add Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, or walnuts to make a great winter pesto. We tried putting the nuts in right up front, but we ran into problems with rancidity developing before we used all of the pesto. The "pesto base" that we now make holds up extremely well for the better part of a year in the freezer.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[TXCraig1]

Bill;
Our basil and oregano have been going great guns too this summer so we puree the excess in a blender with just enough of a 50/50 blend of canola and olive oil to make a puree (looks like a green milkshake), we then pour this into margarine tubs and freeze. Later we use as you would fresh basil or oregano, or we add Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, or walnuts to make a great winter pesto. We tried putting the nuts in right up front, but we ran into problems with rancidity developing before we used all of the pesto. The "pesto base" that we now make holds up extremely well for the better part of a year in the freezer.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

I do a very similar thing. I prefer the food processor and 100% evoo. Works wonderfully.

[bfguilford]

Bill and Tom: Thanks for that terrific idea. I'm swimming in tomatoes, and will look forward to enjoying some during the winter.

Tom and Craig: Also a great idea. I'm swimming in basil, too, and will crank up the food processor.

BTW, anybody know what to do with green tomatoes (without getting into the whole canning thing... too lazy for that)? My best producing plant was infected with septoria leaf spot, and I had to cut it way back so that the fungus wouldn't spread to other plants in our community garden. I had to harvest at least 5 pounds of green tomatoes from that plant.

Thanks.

Barry

[TXCraig1]

BTW, anybody know what to do with green tomatoes (without getting into the whole canning thing... too lazy for that)? My best producing plant was infected with septoria leaf spot, and I had to cut it way back so that the fungus wouldn't spread to other plants in our community garden. I had to harvest at least 5 pounds of green tomatoes from that plant.

Fry them, mexican green sauce/salsa vede (like a tomatillo sauce), add some to pico de gallo or civeche, roasted with some evoo and S&P, they go pretty nicely with lamb.

CL

[Jet_deck]

...anybody know what to do with green tomatoes

As Craig said fried.  I use a light eggwash to wet the 5/16" slices, then into a 75/25 cornmeal/ flour mix.  Pretty simple, but very good to me anyway.

[Chicago Bob]

As Craig said fried.  I use a light eggwash to wet the 5/16" slices, then into a 75/25 cornmeal/ flour mix.  Pretty simple, but very good to me anyway.

Yep, fried green tomato sandwich....a Southern tradition.
http://www.coco-cooks.com/2010/07/fried-green-tomato-sandwich-with-bacon/

[bfguilford]

Thanks guys.

My wife grew up in the South, and she volunteered do fried green tomatoes tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Riprazor]

Just as an FYI, from my experience dehydrating tomatoes, 21 pounds fully dehydrated will yield 1 pound of finished product.  I place them directly in the sauce before putting on cheese or any other ingredient.  They reconstitute based on the moisture they absorb while cooking.  They are incredibly healthy and add the most amazing flavor.  I typically will bag and refrigerate them.  They last for months so long as most of the moisture has been removed.  Eating them out of the bag, is like eating candy...the only issue is that you can easily eat 10 tomatoes before you even know it.

Barry

[Bill/SFNM]

Eating them out of the bag, is like eating candy...the only issue is that you can easily eat 10 tomatoes before you even know it.

And that is a problem because ....? 

We also had a bumper crop of Honeycrisp apples which I have been dehydrating. Even better than candy! I've been putting them on pizza, in chicken sausage, and eating as snacks. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then I'm going to live forever!   

[Chicago Bob]

Honeycrisp apples ....Mmmmm!   

[The Dough Doctor]

Some very good points have been brought up about dried tomatoes and apples. Allow me to share a short story about how good tasting those dried apples are (with the skin).
Several years ago I brought several large zip-lok plastic bags of dried apples with me on a deer hunt. I gave each of the other hunters a quart size bag of them to snack on. At the end of the day, when we were all back in camp, "Camp Momma", that's me, asked the guys what sounded good for dinner that night. Amongst the moans and groans I heard that not much sounded good to them. Why? I asked. Well, it seems that they had all consumed their entire bag of dried apples during the afternoon hunt. Did I mention that there were nearly a dozen apples in each of those bags? Well....the apples were now expanding, but the best part of the story came later that night (try eating a dozen large apples and you will see what I mean). End of story.
But they are oooohhh soooo gooood! Almost addictive.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor