DEHYDRATED TOMATOES

Tomatoes are traditionally dried in the sun, however you can use your oven or a food dehydrator to control temperature and humidity (creating the perfect texture). Choose firm, ripe tomatoes for dehydrating – they can be dried as halves, quarters or slices. After taking the time to dry, they become deliciously chewy with a rich tomato flavour, making them perfect for snacks. Yum! 

   
METHOD:  
1. Before you begin: disconnect the dehydrator from the power point. Clean dehydrator racks and base in warm, mild soapy water. Rinse and dry each part thoroughly. Wipe lid and frames with a damp, soft sponge with a mild detergent. Do not use steel wool, scouring pads or abrasive cleaners. Always follow the dehydrator manual instructions. Ensure the dehydrator is unplugged before reassembling. Ensure hands, utensils and food preparation areas are clean before preparing food.
2. Wash tomatoes.
3.  Remove any discoloured/damaged tomatoes. Discard stems and leaves.
4. Slice tomatoes 5mm thick (a mandolin is helpful to create even slices, or cut them all thicker if desired, aim for all tomatoes to be even sizes so they dehydrate properly).
5. If using, add ascorbic acid to a bowl of water and submerge tomatoes in this water for 3-4 minutes to help preserve the tomato colour. 
6. Drain tomato slices and pat dry.
7. Place sliced tomatoes onto dehydrator trays, leaving a little space around each piece to allow air circulation.
8. Place dehydrator trays onto the base (or into the dehydrator frame), alternating the directions with each tier for round models and ensuring all racks/shelves are securely positioned.
9. Place the lid on the top drying rack (or close the door for square-shaped units).
10. Plug the power cord into a power outlet and set the dehydrator temperature to 55°C (130°F) and timer to 7-8 hours (depending on the tomato thickness and dehydrator model, this time may vary).

11. Rotate racks on round dehydrators every 3-4 hours to ensure all racks dry evenly.
12. Cool dehydrated tomatoes before placing into storage containers or bags.
13. Test tomatoes have dried properly by cutting a piece open. There should be no moisture visible inside. Dehydrated tomatoes may be pliable, crack or flake, depending on the thickness and time dehydrated.
14. Store dehydrated tomatoes in an airtight jar, container or vacuum sealer bag in the refrigerator or freezer.  Check for moisture forming on the container during the first week after drying – if moisture appears, food has not been dried for a long enough period and needs to be dehydrated further (or frozen). Dried food can also be covered in plastic wrap (or vacuum sealed) and stored in a freezer safe container.
15. Enjoy dehydrated tomatoes dry or rehydrate by soaking in olive oil or water (or adding to dishes during cooking). Consume rehydrated tomatoes within a few days (and store in the refrigerator to reduce spoilage). TIP: cold-smoked semi-dried tomatoes taste AMAZING! 

      

Author: Megan Radaich          

Image Credit: Megan Radaich          

Publication: www.foodpreserving.org

 

 

PICO DE GALLO SALSA

“peek-oh duh-guy-oh”
   
Entertaining is easy with this classic chunky salsa! It’s simple to make, fun to say and delicious to eat with tortilla chips or served alongside other Mexican dishes. Preserve your garden fresh tomatoes to enjoy all year long with this quick salsa recipe. 
   

Ingredients for PICO DE GALLO SALSA
	Yield: 3-4 cups	Yield: 7-8 cups
Plum (Roma) Tomatoes	450g (1 pound)	900g (2 pounds)
White Onion	1/2 cup	1 cup
Lime Juice (Bottled)	1/4 cup	1/2 cup
Jalapeño Chillies	1/2 - 1	1-2
Fresh Coriander (Cilantro)	1 tablespoon	2 tablespoons
Salt, Finely Ground	1/2 teaspoon	1 teaspoon

   
WARNING: Before handling chillies, wear plastic or rubber gloves. Do not touch your face or eyes whilst handling and/or cutting chillies.
   
METHOD:  
1. Sterilise all equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.
2. Wash, core, halve, de-seed and dice tomatoes finely
(TIP: use a food processor). Peel and finely dice onion. Wash, remove stalks, halve, de-seed and finely dice chillies. Rinse coriander leaves and chop coarsely. 
3. Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill. 
4. Place lids into a bowl of boiled water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.  
5. Combine all ingredients in a large pan. Mix well. 
6. Bring salsa mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
7. Ladle the hot salsa into the hot jars, filling to 1cm (1/2 inch) from the rim.
8. Using a non-metal utensil, remove any air pockets and add more salsa if required to correct headspace.
9. Wipe rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any food residue.
10. Add pre-warmed lids and twist to secure.
11. Place sealed jars into a pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes to a full boil.
12. Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface. Do not adjust lids during this time.
13. The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating.
14. Store jars of pico de gallo salsa in a cool, dark and dry place for up to 12 months. Jar lids should not flex up or down when pressed. 
15. Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 1 week.
   

Processing Time for PICO DE GALLO SALSA in a Boiling Water Canner
	Jar Size	Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet	Altitude 1,001 - 3,000 feet	Altitude 3,001 - 6,000 feet	Altitude ≥ 6,000 feet
Hot Pack	≤ 500ml (pints)	15 minutes	20 minutes	20 minutes	25 minutes

   
NOTES:
o Do not alter the proportions of ingredients in this recipe to ensure a safely canned product;
o Roma (plum) tomatoes are best for this recipe, because they’re meatier than regular garden (round) tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes can also be used (salsa will be runnier)
o Ensure tomatoes are bright in colour and fully ripe;
o Discard tomato seeds to remove any bitter aftertaste from your salsa;
o You could use red onion in this recipe instead of white onions, if you like;
o Bottled lemon juice can be used instead of bottled lime juice in this recipe;
o Chillies are optional but add a lovely heat! You can use a hotter chilli variety if desired;
o Choose salt that does not have any additives;
o If you have leftover salsa from bottling, store it in the refrigerator and enjoy it fresh (consume within 7 days).
   

SERVING IDEAS: 
o Burritos (and burrito bowls)
o Corn/tortilla chips;
o Enchiladas;
o Fajitas;
o Quesadillas;
o Salad dressing
o Serve with cooked shrimp/prawns and fresh avocado
o Tacos;
o Taquitos;
o Tostadas.

Author: Megan Radaich           

Image credit: Megan Radaich          

Publication: www.foodpreserving.org

LEARN MORE FROM OUR FOOD PRESERVING GUIDES

FRESH CHORIZO PASTA SAUCE

An Italian-style pasta sauce featuring fresh chorizo sausage that is a family favourite!
   
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 chilli (optional)
2-3 fresh chorizo sausages
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
800g tinned diced tomatoes (or 1 litre of bottled tomatoes)
Salt, finely ground
Pepper, finely ground 
   
METHOD:
1. Peel and finely slice garlic cloves. Halve, de-seed and finely mince chilli (if using).
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté garlic and chilli for 1 minute or until the garlic turns yellow.
3. Remove skins from chorizo and place seasoned sausage filling into the pan. Stir to break up the sausage into small pieces, browning all over.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute or until it sticks to the base of the pan.
5. Add the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stickiness.
6. Add the tomatoes and sugar and mix well. 
7. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until sauce has thickened to your liking. 
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve with cooked pasta, sautéed vegetables or atop roasted sweet potato.
10. Freeze sauce in labelled airtight containers for up to 3 months.
    

TOMATO PASTE

When tomato puree is cooked for several hours until thick, the richly flavoured tomato concentrate can be bottled to use all year long. Have excess homegrown (or locally grown) tomatoes? Make a batch of your own tomato paste! 

  

Ingredients for  TOMATO PASTE
	Yield: 8-9 cups
Tomatoes, Roma*	6.3kg (14 pounds)
Citric Acid	1 teaspoon
Salt, Finely Ground	1 teaspoon (optional)
*Fresh or thawed tomatoes can be used. Other “paste/plum” tomato varieties can be used - they are dense with less seeds and are long or pear shaped. Some examples include Amish paste,  black prince, Italian gold, opalka, Polish linguisa, principe borghese, san marzano, saucy and sausage.

  

METHOD:

1.  Clean jars and equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.

NOTE: Only half-pint jars (1 cup/250ml or smaller in volume) are suitable for this recipe.

2.  Wash tomatoes. Discard spoiled tomatoes (damaged tomatoes will affect the flavour, reduce storage period and increase risk of spoilage). Remove tomato cores.

3.  Spread tomatoes on an oven tray in a single layer. Do not add any oil. Roast on low heat until skins split.

4.  Remove trays from the oven and cool tomatoes to touch.

5.  Discard tomato skins (skins can be set aside to dehydrate into tomato powder) and run roasted tomatoes through a passata machine, food mill or sieve to discard seeds.

6.  Place tomato puree into a large pan. Add citric acid and stir well. Simmer tomato puree gently until it is as thick as possible – this can be done in a slow cooker on low, or in a low-temperature oven (using an oven-proof dish) or on the stove top (on low simmer, in a wide based pan if possible).

NOTE: This reduction is “low and slow” – on low heat to prevent scorching and slowly to remove the water content – until the mixture is very thick (i.e. halved in volume). This may take hours, depending on the method used to reduce the tomato puree.

7.  When the tomato paste is ready: place the lids into a heatproof bowl and cover the lids with boiling water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.  

8.  Place jars onto a heatproof surface i.e. wood board (or tea towel).

9.  Fill jars with hot tomato paste, filling to 1.25cm (1/2 inch) from the rim of each jar.

TIP: use a jar funnel to fill jars.

10.  Using a non-metal utensil (i.e. chopstick), remove any bubbles and add more hot tomato paste if required to correct the headspace if it dropped below 1.25cm (1/2 inch) from the jar rim.

11.  Wipe jar rims with a damp paper towel to remove any food residue.

12.  Remove lids from hot water and seal jars i.e. twist to secure “fingertip tight”.

13.  Place jars of tomato paste into the pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to a full boil.

14.  Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e. wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time.

15.  After 12-24 hours: check jars have sealed before labelling and dating clearly.

16.  Store jars of tomato paste in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e. pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal failure, do not consume).

17.  Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 5 days.

TIP: Freeze leftover tomato paste from opened jars in freezer safe containers (we recommend storing in the freezer in an ice cube tray that has an airtight lid, example pictured).

      

Processing Time for  TOMATO PASTE  in a Boiling Water Canner
		Altitude Processing Times
Packing Style	Jar Size	0-1000 ft	1001-3000 ft	3001-6000 ft	6000+ ft
Hot Pack	Half-Pint (250ml/1 cup) or smaller	45 minutes	50 minutes	55 minutes	60 minutes

  

Author: Megan Radaich          

Image Credit: Megan Radaich          

Publication: www.foodpreserving.org

 

LEARN MORE FROM OUR FOOD PRESERVING GUIDES