March 20   #538                          Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I’m AS.  Listeners to “Prairie Home Companion” are quite familiar with the tradition of putting up a summer’s worth of tomatoes in glass Mason jars, and bringing them up from the basement over the course of the year.  For quite some time variations on the preserved stewed tomato were all we had.  Then in the early 80’s Giorgio DeLucca made an extraordinary discovery…for an American:  the sun-dried tomato.  He had been scouting Italy for olive oil and encountered the delicacy on s cold and rainy night.  Sun-dried tomatoes are ubiquitous in Italy, but every little village has its own approach and is oblivious to what goes on elsewhere.  DeLucca managed to find producers who were big enough to supply the States, and he took a shipment home with him.  A very favorable review of the product in the New York Times led to a consumer feeding frenzy, and sun-dried tomatoes suddenly started showing up everywhere…often in arguably inappropriate dishes.

Traditionally plump meaty tomatoes such as the Roma or Plum are used.  A gentle drying process preserves them for later use.  They are usually stored in oil, which does not re-hydrate them, but merely keeps them fresh.  When using, it is essential to re-hydrate the tomatoes, usually soaking them in warm water.  White or red wine works well, as would any kind of broth.  Unsoaked dried tomatoes have a very strong almost coppery taste, while the texture is tough and leathery and are rarely used.

Sun-dried tomatoes are superb for adding zest to sauces and broths.  They also add a note of concentrated  richness to salads.  An earlier Radio Kitchen recipe, St. Martin Chicken (December 12, 2006) uses sun-dried tomatoes in the pan sauce.  Here’s a recipe from Jerry that utilizes sun-dried tomatoes.

Penne with Shrimp and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 lb. Penne Pasta, cooked al dente and drained
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 shallot, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
12 large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/4 cup white wine
¼ cup Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (recipe follows)

¼ cup Italian parsley leaves

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until translucent.  Add the shrimp and cook until done.  Remove the shrimp from the pan and add the white wine and pesto.  Cook until the sauce just starts to thicken. Add the parsley and mix until combined. Divide the pasta into four bowls.  Spoon the sauce over each bowl evenly and place three shrimp on top.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

1½ Cups sun-dried tomatoes

Dry white wine

½ cup pine nuts, toasted

2 anchovy fillets (optional)

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with white wine.  Allow the tomatoes to soak in the wine for 2 hours or until they become plump and soft to the touch. Drain the tomatoes and dry gently on paper towels. Do not squeeze them dry. Place them in a food processor set with the chopping blade. Add the pine nuts and anchovies. With the machine on, add the oil in a slow stream through the top of the plastic guard. Place the mixture in a bowl, fold in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

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