These preserved tomatoes are excellent thinly sliced through pasta, in tomato salads or with ricotta and pepper on toast.
Oven-Dried Preserved Tomatoes
Preparation time: 20 mins, plus at least 7 hours drying, plus 20 mins sterilising
Storage: Up to 6 months
Makes: 3 x 300ml jars
• 2kg tomatoes
• 2 tsp salt
• 375ml (1½ cups) white wine vinegar
• 185ml (¾ cup) water
• 75g (1∕3 cup) caster sugar
• flavourings, such as peeled garlic, black peppercorns, thyme, oregano sprigs, basil stems (optional)
• 170ml (2∕3 cup) olive oil or vegetable oil, extra to fill jars
Preheat your oven to its lowest setting. We set ours to 65°C, but most domestic ovens can go only as low as 100°C. You can also use a dehydrator if you have one.
Cut your tomatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with the salt and put them in the oven.
For ovens set to 100°C, the tomatoes can take 7-9 hours to dry. For ovens set to 65°C, the tomatoes can take 10-12 hours to dry. You want your tomatoes to still maintain some plumpness. If your oven feels too hot, you can wedge the door open with a wooden spoon to increase the airflow. (If using a dehydrator, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for advice.) When the tomatoes have finished drying, leave to cool completely.
Sterilise your jars and lids.
Make your brine by combining the vinegar, water and sugar in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Place over low heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to simmering point, then turn off the heat.
When the jars are cool enough to handle, add any flavourings you wish to use, such as 1 garlic clove, 4 peppercorns and 1 thyme sprig. Carefully pack the dried tomatoes into the jars. Pour the hot brine over the tomatoes, filling each jar only three-quarters of the way up.
Remove any air bubbles by gently tapping each jar on the work surface and sliding a clean butterknife or chopstick around the inside of the jars to release any hidden air pockets. Fill each jar with oil, leaving a 5mm gap at the top. Wipe the rims of the jars with paper towel or a clean damp cloth and seal immediately.
Store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months. Once opened, refrigerate and use within 3 months.
STERILISING JARS AND BOTTLES
Wash in hot soapy water and rinse, then place them upright in a baking dish in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 110°C and leave in the oven for about 10-15 mins, or until completely dry. Remove carefully.
For hot packing, pour the hot chutney straight into the hot jars; for cold packing, let the jars cool before adding your pickles or preserves.
To sterilise the lids, place them in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5 mins, then drain and dry with clean paper towels.
HEAT-PROCESSING
This process uses heat to stop the growth of bacteria. It generates pressure inside the preserving jar or bottle, which forces out any oxygen, creating an uninhabitable environment for micro-organisms.
Treating your preserves in this way has two benefits: it lengthens their shelf life, and it ensures the jars or bottles are sealed correctly. We encourage our students to heat-process any cold-packed preserves, pickles and bottled fruit – as well as large batches of chutneys and jams that will be stored for some time.
Get the biggest pan you have, such as a stockpot – the taller, the better – and put it on the stovetop. Lie a folded tea towel in the bottom of the pan, then sit your jars on the tea towel, taking care not to cram them in, and keeping them clear of the sides of the pan. Roughly match the water temperature to the temperature of the jars (to help prevent breakages from thermal shock), then pour in enough water to cover the jars, either completely or at least until three-quarters submerged. Bring to the boil over medium heat. The heat-processing times given in the recipes start from boiling point, and will generally be 10-15 mins for jars or bottles up to 500ml (2 cup) capacity, or 20 mins for larger capacities.
You might have one or two breakages when you’re starting out – the worst that can happen is that the remaining jars will swim in pickles for the rest of the processing time. Just keep going, then take the surviving jars out at the end and give them a wipe down.
Once the heat-processing time is up, the lids should be puffed up and convex. Carefully remove the hot jars from the water, using oven mitts and a thick cloth to protect your hands.
Line up your jars on the benchtop and let them sit overnight. As they cool, a vacuum will form inside each jar and suck down the lid, sealing them securely. In the morning, the lids should be concave: either get down to eye level with the top of the jar to check for the telltale dip in the lid, or lie a pencil across each lid to show the cavity below it.
If you have concerns about the seal of any of your jars, store them in the fridge and use their contents within a few weeks.
Chilli Sambal
We make mountains of this sambal when chilli season is in full swing. So quick and easy to make, it gives tacos, rice dishes, marinades and breakfast eggs a good hit of heat. We use carrot as a base in this recipe as it adds sweetness and gives the sambal a fantastically bright colour, but you could experiment with other bases, such as green mango or pineapple. Try green or yellow chillies, too.
With fruit-based sambals, you may need to add more vinegar to loosen them. Keep tasting and adjusting the sugar-to-salt ratio until you’re happy with the flavour.
Preparation time: 20 mins, plus 20 mins sterilising, plus 10 mins heat-processing (optional)
Storage: up to 3 months in the fridge, or 2 years if heat-processed
Makes: 4-5 x 375ml jars
• 750g long mild red chillies
• 250g carrot
• 50g knob of fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• 55g (¼ cup) caster sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 185ml (¾ cup) white wine vinegar
Sterilise your jars and lids.
Roughly chop the chillies, carrot, ginger and garlic. Put them in a food processor with the sugar and salt and blitz for 5 mins. Slowly pour in the vinegar until your sambal has a smooth consistency; you may need to adjust the quantity.
When the jars are cool enough to handle, pack the sambal into the jars, pressing down firmly to make sure the chilli paste is covered in a thin layer of liquid.
Remove any air bubbles by gently tapping each jar on the work surface and sliding a clean butterknife or chopstick around the inside to release any hidden air pockets. Wipe the rims of the jars with a paper towel or a clean damp cloth and seal immediately. You can store the sambal in the fridge for up to 3 months, or heat-process the jars for 10 mins and store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 years.
Once opened, refrigerate and use within 3 months.
Tip: If your chillies are extra hot or if you prefer your sambal milder, you can always change the ratio. Try 500g carrot to 500g chillies – or even 750g carrot to 250g chillies.
Rescued Apple Chutney
This recipe is a good way to rescue fruit that is floury, bruised or wrinkled. Try it with pears, plums or even pumpkin (squash). Change the spices to whatever you have in the pantry.
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Storage: up to 1 month in the fridge
Makes: 1 x 500ml jar
• 3 tbsp olive, sunflower or vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp brown or yellow mustard seeds
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground cloves (or use 2 whole cloves)
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1-2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 3 apples, roughly chopped with the skin on
• 125ml red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 55g (¼ cup) sugar of your choice
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion (or that half onion leftover in the fridge) with the salt until soft and sweet. Add the mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne and ginger. Mix well, then throw in the apples, vinegar and sugar.
Reduce the heat and gently simmer until you have a thick and glossy chutney (add a little water if the chutney starts to look dry). Taste and add extra spices or sugar if needed. Allow to cool a little, then spoon into an airtight container or clean jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 month. l
An edited extract from Pocket Pickler by Alex Elliott-Howery (Murdoch Books RRP $32.99).