DIY Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Tomato season is winding down here in VA and I have a wonderful way to prolong the life of all those cherry tomatoes bursting out of your garden.  Everybody love sun-dried tomatoes, but do you know how they're made?  They're placed outside  and allowed to dry naturally, uncovered and exposed to all kinds of debris floating around in the air (dust, pollen, and yes, bugs).  I prefer a more controlled environment - a clean, dust-free, pollen-free, bug-free dehydrator.   

Wash and cut your little tomatoes in half length-wise.

Place them cut side up on dehydrator trays, allowing space between them so the air can flow freely around each tomato.  Give them a light sprinkling of Kosher salt.

Stack up as many trays as you need and turn on the dehydrator.  The total time will vary greatly depending on the size of your tomatoes, but mine took about 14 hours on a very low setting, rotating the racks every few hours.  Follow the guidelines give by your dehydrator or just check them periodically, removing individual tomatoes as they're done.  I like them to remain on the soft and chewy side - they'll feel flexible and leathery, but they won't exude any moisture when pressed between your thumb and forefinger.  If you let them dehydrate longer, they'll turn crispy - great for snacking, but if you want to cook with them, reconstitute them in warm water until pliable before using.  

I like to store my dried tomatoes in the fridge, in a pretty, repurposed jam jar filled with really good olive oil.  Use in recipes, on salads, or just snack on them.  They'll last for many months in the fridge.  Enjoy! 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• food dehydrator https://amzn.to/3bs58FK

• cutting board https://amzn.to/35T1gfM

• high quality extra virgin olive oil https://amzn.to/3GD0rZk

Green Beans Almondine

We've been enjoying the most wonderful locally grown produce all summer long; green beans being one of our favorites.  We usually eat them raw or steamed, but every now and then I like to dress them up a bit by making Green Beans Almondine, a very simple recipe that screams gourmet.  Here's how to make it.

Start by melting a pat of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. 

Add almonds, sliced or slivered, and slowly heat them, stirring frequently, until they're golden brown.

Don't be tempted to raise the heat during this process; almonds burn easily so take your time. Here you can see my almonds are about halfway there - another minute and they'll be perfect.

When the almonds are done, remove them from the skillet and set aside until needed.

No need to wipe out the skillet - increase the heat to medium-high and add the green beans.

Add water (or in this case, chicken stock) and cover skillet so the beans can steam.

Let's take a peek and see if our beans are done - I like to cook green beans until they're crisp-tender.  

Crisp Tender: to cook food to the stage where it is tender, but still crisp.

As soon as the green beans are cooked the way you like them, remove them from the heat, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle on all the buttery almonds, and give everything a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  That's it.  Simple, right?

Ok, traditionally this is not done, but I hate to miss an opportunity to make a quick pan sauce so I whisked a pat of butter into the chicken stock that was left over in the skillet when I steamed my green beans.  I wouldn't have done this if I had used water to steam my beans.  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• sliced almonds https://amzn.to/35ZZHwU

• rondeau https://amzn.to/3cssRH8

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Green Beans Almondine

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds

• 1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

• 1/4 cup water or stock

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter and cook almonds until golden brown, stirring frequently; remove from pan and reserve until needed.

2. In the same skillet, increase heat to medium-high and add green beans and water (or stock). Cover and cook beans until they're crisp-tender.

3. Place green beans in a serving dish and season with salt and pepper, then top with reserved almonds and squeeze fresh lemon juice over all.