Driven By Ingredients
Pomodoraccio Tomatoes or Semi Sun-Dried Tomatoes, or Pom Toms
Ok, I don't like sun-dried tomatoes. There I said it. But come on… tomato jerky? The best way to deal with them is to rehydrate or chop them very finely and bury them, and then, why bother with them at all?
I think what happened is someone made sun-dried tomatoes cool back in the 90s, and when introduced in the 90s, they were pretty damn delicious. Sun-dried tomatoes are supposed to be Roma or San Marzano tomatoes. That is an excellent start right there. Then a sprinkle of sea salt, set out in the sunshine shielding them with a cheesecloth. Then after a few days, their flavor will be gloriously concentrated. That's how they started.
Then big manufacturers got ahold of this new-fangled idea and used dehydrators or ovens to dry them instead of the sun's beautiful rays. Those solutions yield a more consistent result in a shorter time when the demand is high. The end result was well, tomato jerky. Full disclosure I ate them and cooked with them anyway, all through the 90s. I didn't want to be left out of that cool group.
However, I am always yearning for "better." Fast forward to the very beginning days of ZZest Market. Actually, in the very beginning 2008 or so, I had a little kiosk spot inside Rochester Produce, then located on 2nd St SW (now Pinnacle Catering). I called myself Culinary Market and began to make some headway in the specialty foods arena. Well, there was no arena in Rochester. No one had imported specialty items and cheeses, and the word charcuterie was never used at Hyvee, until they took the time to check out my shop on 1st Ave. Though I suspect they were keeping up with trends but sure, you are welcome Hyvee meat department guy.
Nevertheless, I was gaining attention, and salespeople began to call. I was introduced to Semi-Sun-dried tomatoes. They were epic. Not overly chewy slices or ribbons but plump-ish slices sitting in some pretty decent sunflower oil with slivers of garlic. I referred to them as pom toms on my orders, which may have taken the sales office a bit to interpret (they like product numbers). But I sold a lot of them, and they figured it out.
The La Medina brand is my favorite. These are from Terra Maris, Italy. The tomatoes are hand-picked and hand-cut, marinated in sunflower oil, vinegar, herbs, spices, and seasonings. They are so much more tender than sun-dried tomatoes. Use them straight out of the jar on cheese and charcuterie boards, sandwiches, salads, pastas, or pizza.
They are also highly versatile, convenient, and packed with flavor! But, for heaven's sake, SAVE the oil; it's golden. You can reuse it to marinate something else, use it for dressings, or incorporate it into mayonnaise which now becomes an aioli! Oh, aren't you the fancy one?
Price warning here. Unless you are ricco sfondato, Pomodoraccio’s are expensive. It's a healthy 18.7-ounce jar, though. I've seen them as high as $20. but because I'm not paying shipping (yet), I have them marked at $16.95. You will forget the expense after one taste. Take a look here to order online.
Don't be fooled by the Bella Sun Luci brand or the Mezzetta brand; they don't cut it on the amazing scale. But, if you are unwilling to invest, then make them! Homemade suffers only from our lack of fresh tomato choices. But once oven-dried slowly… it can work.
I always have a jar on hand, but I also have made them before. Here's a great recipe from Food 52. After they cool add them to a jar and make sure the tomatoes are completely covered in oil to keep as long as possible in the fridge.
I like to use grape tomatoes when making them myself.
Semi Sun-Dried Tomatoes
¼ lb (570 g) small grape tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon each: dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano (optional but recommended)
2 teaspoons olive oil for brushing
Olive oil for covering (optional, see note)
Halve tomatoes lengthwise. If using larger tomatoes, cut out the core.
Arrange the halved tomatoes over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cut sides up. (Do not use an aluminum baking sheet as the acid in the tomato will react with the metal.)
Brush (or drizzle) lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, then with the dried herbs.
Preheat oven. Bake for 2 hours at 300°F (150°C) until semi-dried. If I don't need them right away, I turn off the oven and let the tomatoes sit in the oven to dry in the residual heat for another half hour (depending on how dry they already are).
Store in the fridge for up to a week. (see note)
NOTE: Store in a jar or container in the fridge for up to a week. Be aware, they still have some moisture inside, so they will get moldy when stored longer without submerging them in oil. For longer storage, place them in a jar tightly packed and cover with olive oil. Add a garlic clove and more dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano)
For more POM TOM recipes ideas, check out the next blog post, Talking Food with my Second Self.