What to do with sundried tomatoes?

fussyonion

I bought a jar of sundried tomatoes today in Lidl and (shamefully) it's my first ever time buying them. I tasted one from the jar and they're lovely, but what can I use them for?

What do you guys do with them?

Mrs Fox

Slit open ciabatta, smear some pesto, add a few sun dried tomatoes, a few cubes of feta or goats cheese, and rocket. Toast to perfection.

Also, add them in lasagna ragu.

You can make red pesto with them too.

Moody_mona

Adding them to spag bol or lasagne or another tomato based dish will add a lovely flavour intensity.
Could stuff chicken breasts with them and mozzarella or they'd be lovely on homemade pizza.

Lovely Bloke

eat them out of the jar

Merkin

If you enjoy baking your own bread you could make sundried tomato bread or add a few olives in as well to make a Mediterranean bread.

vibe666

they add a lovely flavour to any tomato based sauces (spag bol, lasagne, arrabbiata etc.

Tom Dunne

They make a nice lunch with pasta and cubed feta cheese. Simple, but delicious.

squonk

All of the above and, when you're finished with the sundried tomatoes, don't throw out the oil they're packed in. You can use it as part of a salad dressing. I usually add some balsamic vinegar and mayhbe a small bit of garlic. It's quite nice.

Moody_mona

squonk wrote: »

All of the above and, when you're finished with the sundried tomatoes, don't throw out the oil they're packed in. You can use it as part of a salad dressing. I usually add some balsamic vinegar and mayhbe a small bit of garlic. It's quite nice.

Forgot about the wonderful oil! Great for doing roast veg in!

Mrs Fox

Moody_mona wrote: »

Forgot about the wonderful oil! Great for doing roast veg in!

And great for dipping some cubed crusty bread in too

fussyonion

Woo lovely suggestions guys and girls, thanks a lot!
Loving the sound of the bread and I'll definitely keep the oil for salad dressings and roasting veg in. Putting the tomatoes on pizza and in sauces is genius and I guess would add so much flavour.

Thank you so much!

Merkin

Actually I just found a recipe for sundried tomato AND parmesan bread. :pac:

Which means I'm going to have to go and buy sundried tomatoes now because it sounds SUBLIME!

http://www.thebreadkitchen.com/recipes/sun-dried-tomato-and-parmesan-bread-recipe/

Pigwidgeon

The job I just left had the best bread ever. It was sundried tomato and bacon. It had herbs and stuff in it and parmesan on top. It was unbelievable. I've never tried to make it myself, I left that to the wonderful bakers. I'll have a rummage around for the recipe for it in case anyone is interested.

4umbrellas

Or for a super-quick meal, get some chilled ready-rolled puff pastry, score a line a centimetre or so in from the edge (i.e. make a line with a knife but don't cut all the way through) and inside this border put your sundried tomatoes and anything else you think will taste good. I would combine them with cheese (cubes of feta or rounds from a goat's cheese log) and olives. Maybe some onions. Or some regular (fresh) tomato slices too. You could smear the pastry with some pesto or sundried tomato paste before putting the other ingredients on top, to waterproof it a bit (esp. if you're using fresh tomato slices). Or not. Grind some pepper over the whole thing too. Then just stick the oven until the pastry's edges are puffed up and golden. If the oven's good and hot it'll only take 10 mins or so.
You can make small ones for an easy starter too.

PippaChic

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Slit open ciabatta, smear some pesto, add a few sun dried tomatoes, a few cubes of feta or goats cheese, and rocket. Toast to perfection.

Also, add them in lasagna ragu.

You can make red pesto with them too.

I stumbled on this thread yesterday, bought the ingredients and I'm enjoying this sandwich right now! Thanks a million for this recipe, it's difficult to think of ideas for a sandwich!

Mrs Fox

PippaChic wrote: »

I stumbled on this thread yesterday, bought the ingredients and I'm enjoying this sandwich right now! Thanks a million for this recipe, it's difficult to think of ideas for a sandwich!

It's got to be my favourite toastie. Glad you enjoyed it.

Olive8585

I love them in a simple sandwich - crusty bread, thick slice of decent cheese, sundried tomatoes and a splash of olive oil...mmmmm.

herisson

EVERYTHING!!!

I am addicted to them, so much so ive stopped mentioning them in the dinner thread here

Chicken, noodles, splash of soy sauce and spring onion, flash fried

put them in a processor blend to a paste, mix with mayo and use as a spread.

Drain them use them in sandwiches, works well in toasted ones

Chop them up and use them in your home made burger (adding them into the patty itself)

Stuff chicken/beef with them

use them in stuffing with chorizo and red onion

use them to make pasta sauces

Stuff tortellini with them

Make red pesto with them

i also have this recipe on my laptop for a sundried tomato sauce that you make with chicken too thats lovely.

add some into bread when you are making some too

stuff meatballs with them and mozzarella

using them with normal tomatoes when making tomato soup



I could go on and on, but i dont want to be know as that crazy woman obsessed with sun dried tomatoes. :o

confusticated

...I think you already might be...

MagicMarker

Merkin wrote: »

Actually I just found a recipe for sundried tomato AND parmesan bread. :pac:

Which means I'm going to have to go and buy sundried tomatoes now because it sounds SUBLIME!

http://www.thebreadkitchen.com/recipes/sun-dried-tomato-and-parmesan-bread-recipe/

I genuinely thought she was going to say "today we're going to make a loaf that will blow your tits off". Burst out laughing.

I'm simple.

fiachraX

MagicMarker wrote: »

I genuinely thought she was going to say "today we're going to make a loaf that will blow your tits off". Burst out laughing.

I'm simple.

Mmm. Something subliminal about her name?
Seems like an enthusiastic/animated lady - in a nice way.

Sulla Felix

As well as all of the above, I'm quite fond of them thrown into a salad.

herisson

herisson wrote: »

i also have this recipe on my laptop for a sundried tomato sauce that you make with chicken too thats lovely.

10 mini chicken fillets
2 minced garlic cloves (or more if you like garlic)
medium onion, diced
15 sun dried tomatoes, chopped small
2 Tbsp flour
300ml chicken stock
half a glass white wine
1 Tbsp butter
200ml cup heavy cream
basil, chopped (optional)
1 chilli chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper

Trim chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken, leave a side and keep warm
Throw in the onions and garlic and optional chilli. dont let the garlic burn. Stir them around and cook on medium or so for a couple of minutes until softened.
Add in the chopped sun dried tomatoes.
Add in a couple tablespoons of flour. Stir until smooth.
Add in the chicken stock and white wine. If you prefer not to use wine, just use more broth. Stir until smooth and allow to reduce slightly.
Add in the cold butter.
Add in the cream.
Allow to thicken and reduce
Add back the chicken.
Add in the chopped basil then turn off the heat.


I usually eat this with pasta or rice.

Minder

I made a savoury puff pastry slice ages ago that had braised rabbit and sun dried tomatoes packed inside. Served it with a green salad with a honey mustard dressing. Must try that again.

tiegan

My favourite simple supper is as follows.
Slices of garlic bread, topped with chopped sundried tomatoes and cheddar cheese (or better still smoked cheese) . Stick under the grill until bubbling. Simples.

Maphisto

My Mum came over for a holiday last week. One lunchtime we went to a restaurant and I had Seafood Penne. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to recreate it a few days later.

Pack of Prawns
Pack of Smoked Salmon scraps
Jar of sundred Tomatoes
Onion, fresh parsley

Gently fry off the above until the onion is soft. Then throw in the cooked Penne and fold in one or two tubs of Philidelphia (any flavour is good except the chocolate ). Fold in some fresh Basil leaves. Add some water if its too tight.

Serve with crusty bread. Worked a treat.

fussyonion

OP here.
I don't like sundried tomatoes.
I've been trying them all week and I just don't.
Also made a bread with them. Too sweet. Not for me/

annie.t

Salad maybe?
I do this:
Roast some sunflower seeds on a dry non-stick pan.
Mix rocket with chopped sunflower tomatoes (and possibly some black olives) and sprinkle with sunflower seeds, i only use olive oil and some salt and pepper as dressing.

vibe666

If the jar ones are too oily (or you're on a diet etc.) Aldi and lidl both do them in dried form in packets in the fruit and veg section. You could either reconstitute them in boiling water, or just cop them and throw them into sauces dry. Had them in a lasagne the other night and they were very tasty.

I think sacla also do a sun dried tomato paste (and also as a pesto) as well, to save on some chopping.

pwurple

fussyonion wrote: »

OP here.
I don't like sundried tomatoes.
I've been trying them all week and I just don't.
Also made a bread with them. Too sweet. Not for me/

I'm with you. They are like a cross between a raisin and a tomato! And I hate raisins.

Semi-sundried now... Those are a different item altogether. Still taste like tomatoes, hurray!

kylith

fussyonion wrote: »

OP here.
I don't like sundried tomatoes.
I've been trying them all week and I just don't.
Also made a bread with them. Too sweet. Not for me/

Put them in a blender with a few cloves of garlic and you can blitz them to a paste, then you can add it to any tomato based sauce for a little kick without them being overpowering.