Pickling tomatoes is not as complicated as you might think. We'll show you 5 ways to help your tomatoes get the perfect flavor.
Tomatoes from your own garden are something particularly tasty and he althy. With a very large harvest, however, the question often arises of how to make the tomatoes last longer.
One way is to pickle the tomatoes. With pickled tomatoes you can give many Mediterranean dishes the finishing touch, because they remain very flavorful and fruity. They can also be kept for up to a year.
5 recipes for an intensive taste experience
If you want to pickle your tomatoes, you have several options. So you have the choice between fresh or dried tomatoes. You can also pickle the tomatoes in either oil or vinegar.
If you want to preserve the pickled tomatoes for a long time, preserving jars or twist-off jars are ideal. However, you should definitely clean them before filling them and ideally also sterilize them. You can boil the glasses in a large pot of water for about 10 minutes, or put them in the oven at 140 degrees for about 10 minutes.
→ But be careful not to put rubber rings in the oven.
Fresh Tomatoes
If you want to pickle fresh tomatoes, small varieties are ideal. Both cherry tomatoes and cocktail tomatoes can be preserved whole. Of course you can also use beefsteak tomatoes. But you will have to share them.
Whatever variety of tomato you choose, they all have one thing in common: they have to be sterilized before pickling. To do this, simply place them in boiling water for a few minutes and then rinse them off. Then dry them and prick them with a needle or toothpick. This way the pickled tomatoes can absorb the aroma better.
Pickling
A very tasty way to preserve tomatoes is to pickle them in vinegar. For this, in addition to your tomatoes, you will need…
• Vinegar
• S alt
• Herbs and spices to taste
• to tasteChili peppers, garlic or onions
How it works:
❶ Put the wine vinegar and water in a saucepan in a 1:1 ratio.
❷ Bring the mixture to a boil with sugar and s alt, then add desired spices and herbs.
❸ Put the tomatoes in the glass and pour the broth over them.
❹ Close the jar immediately.
❺ Let the tomatoes soak for at least three days so that they develop an intense aroma.
» Tip: If you use large tomatoes, you should briefly cook them in the stock after chopping them up.
Preserve in olive oil
If you want to pickle your tomatoes in oil, you need the following ingredients in addition to the tomatoes:
• Olive oil
• Herbs to taste (e.g. thyme, oregano, rosemary or basil)
• Chili peppers, garlic or capers to taste
» Tip: Only use first-class olive oil. The olive oils from Italy have proven particularly useful for pickling because they are very fruity and aromatic.
How it works:
❶ Alternately fill the jar with the tomatoes and the herbs and spices.
❷ Pour in the olive oil so that the tomatoes float in it.
» Tip: Do not fill the glass to the brim!
❸ Close the jar.
❹ Place the jar in a dark and cool place for about two weeks to fully develop the aroma.
Fill and put in wine
Pickled tomatoes filled with cheese are a special treat for the palate. In addition to the tomatoes, you need…
• Cheese for the filling (e.g. feta, feta or mozzarella)
• White wine
• Herbs
• Garlic
• S alt and pepper to taste
How it works:
❶ Boil the wine with s alt and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
❷ Hollow out the tomatoes and fill them with cheese.
❸ Peel and slice the garlic.
❹ Put the stuffed tomatoes in the glass together with the garlic and the sprigs of herbs and season with s alt and pepper.
❺ Pour the wine brew up to a centimeter below the rim.
❻ Fill up the rest with olive oil and then seal the jar airtight.
Dried Tomatoes
The pickled tomatoes get an even more intense aroma if you dry them beforehand. You can then use them, for example, during preparationof pasta dishes or you simply offer them as delicious antipasti.
Sundried tomatoes that you can buy in stores usually have a very high price. So you have a cheaper alternative if you make it yourself. You also know exactly what was used for the preparation.
Short instructions for drying tomatoes
Simply halve or quarter the tomatoes and remove the stalks and seeds. S alt them a bit. Place the tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven at 90-120 degrees. After about 12 hours the tomatoes are dry. During drying, the oven door must remain slightly open to allow moisture to escape.
» Tip: You can also dry the tomatoes in the dehydrator.
Pick in oil
Dried tomatoes then marinated in oil are particularly tasty and go wonderfully with Mediterranean cuisine. In addition to the sun-dried tomatoes, you will need…
• Olive oil
• Herbs such as thyme, oregano, rosemary or basil
• Garlic
• S alt
• Sugar if required
Here's how:
❶ Peel and slice the garlic.
❷ Alternately fill the jar with the sun-dried tomatoes, herbs and garlic.
» Tip: You can add 2 tablespoons of sugar if needed.
❸ Fill with olive oil and sprinkle with s alt.
❹ Close the jar.
Pickling
Pickling dried tomatoes in vinegar gives them a sweet and sour aroma. The preparation is very simple. All you need besides the sundried tomatoes is…
• Wine Vinegar
• Chili Peppers
• Bay Leaves
• S alt and Pepper
Here's how:
❶ Layer the tomatoes in the jar.
❷ Boil the vinegar with the other ingredients and let it simmer for a few minutes.
❸ Pour the hot liquid over the tomatoes and close the jar immediately.
Tip to extend shelf life
To extend the shelf life of the pickled tomatoes, you need to remove the air from the jars. You can achieve this, for example, by pouring high-proof alcohol (at least 30%) onto the lid, then igniting it and then immediately closing the glass.