My pop, Tony Alfonsi, was born November 29, 1929, exactly one month after Black Tuesday, the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States. Needless to say, Dad was a Depression era baby. He never had to preach principles of economy to me. He lived them—which meant
I learned them by osmosis. Consequently, "waste not" has been a part of my philosophy
for a very long time. (It’s also the basis for a whole range of global cuisines,
but that’s another post.)
As for this post…
It's one I promised you last week when I showed you how to make Meatless Italian Tomato Sauce from fresh tomatoes...
If you missed that post, you can jump to it now by clicking here.
If you missed that post, you can jump to it now by clicking here.
Peeling and de-seeding fresh tomatoes takes your sauce up a level in quality. It also leaves you with a big ol' pile of tomato skins and peels, but you don't have to discard them. Today's recipe will show you how to make tasty use of them...
Cleo Coyle's
"Sun-Dried" Tomato Flakes
🍅
To download this recipe in a
PDF document that you can
print, save, or share, click here.
PDF document that you can
print, save, or share, click here.
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Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
A Recipe Note from Cleo
Sun-dried tomatoes bring great flavor to so many dishes. That bright, tangy taste is concentrated beautifully in these easy-to-make tomato flakes.
Sun-dried tomatoes bring great flavor to so many dishes. That bright, tangy taste is concentrated beautifully in these easy-to-make tomato flakes.
You can toss the flakes onto sandwiches and wraps, stir them into soups, stews, and veggie dips; add a few tablespoons to a meatloaf (in place of tomato paste); or flavor boost your salads, pastas, burgers, omelets, and pizza. Best of all, it's a great use for tomato skins and peels that you might otherwise discard. The insanely easy instructions are below.
So waste not and...eat with joy!
~ Cleo
Step 1: Start with the tomato peels (or skins) that you have left over from cooking sauce from scratch or other uses. (For instructions on how to easily remove tomato skins, see my recipe post from last week by clicking here.) Place parchment paper on a half-sheet pan and brush the
paper with olive oil. Spread out the tomato peels in a single layer.
Step 2: Bake in an
oven preheated to 225 degrees. F. After 30 minutes flip the peels over. Bake
for another 20 to 30 minutes for a total cooking time of about 1 hour. The
peels are done when they turn crisp like potato chips—but you don’t want them
to turn dark brown so check them near the end of the cooking time.
Step 3: When they’re done dehydrating in the oven, place the dried
peels in a food processor, blender, or spice grinder (a coffee grinder with a
blade) and run the machine in short bursts or pulses until they form flakes. (Do
not over-process.) Store the tomato flakes in a sealed plastic bag or airtight
container. For longer life (about 2 months), I keep mine in the refrigerator.
