Title: Sun Dried Tomato Dip
Categories: Dip Appetizer
Yield: 1 Servings
| 1/2 | lb | Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Dry |
| | | (Not In Oil) |
| 2 | c | Water |
| 10 | md | Cloves Garlic, Peeled |
| 1 1/2 | ts | Oregano, Dried |
| 1 1/2 | ts | Thyme, Dried |
| 1 1/4 | c | Olive Oil |
| 1/4 | c | Vegetable Oil |
MICROWAVE OVEN METHOD: Combine tomatoes, water, garlic, oregano and thyme
in a 13x9x2-inch oval glass or ceramic dish. Cover tightly with microwave
plastic wrap. Cook at 100% in a high-wattage oven for 8 minutes. Prick
plastic to release steam. Remove from oven and uncover. Stir well.
Re-cover and cook for 8 minutes longer. Prick plastic to release steam.
Remove from oven and uncover. Stir well and allow to stand, stirring
occasionally, until cool and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer
to a 1-1/2-quart souffle dish. Pour 3/4 cup of the olive oil and the
vegetable oil over the tomato mixture. Cover tightly with microwave plastic
wrap and cook for 5 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam. Remove from
oven and uncover. Stir and allow to stand until cool. Transfer to the work
bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Scrape into a large bowl
and stir in remaining olive oil if serving immediately. Otherwise, pack in
a refrigerator storage container with a tightly fitting lid. The dip will
keep as long as a month, so think about making the whole quantity.
STOVE-TOP METHOD: Cover sun-dried tomatoes with water in nonreactive
saucepan. Bring to a boil over med heat, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to a
simmer and cook, covered, for 22 minutes. Allow to cool. Drain. Cook with
oil, garlic, oregano and thyme over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes.
Puree. Above makes 3 cups. Author's note: The sun-dried tomato dip is a
real breakthrough. At a recent cocktail party, 7 guests demanded the
recipe. Buying sun-dried tomatoes dry in bulk instead of packed in oil
makes them less expensive. Reviving them in the microwave means that you
can use a minimum of liquid for optimum intensity of flavor. Then they be
packed up in good quality olive oil (much better than that which comes with
them in jars) to use as needed or to turn into this dip, with its rich,
mystifying flavor. The dip keeps for weeks in the refrigerator. You will
want to have the ubiquitous sliced raw vegetables; fennel does well with
this dip. You don't have to use a microwave oven; you can still make this
dip even if it is slightly less intense in flavor. The reward is the
cooking water. Save it to use for boiling pasta. Cooked either way, this
dip makes a delicious pasta sauce. Below are timings for other amounts of
sun-dried tomatoes so that you can multiply and divide the recipe as you
want. Almost every informal party requires at least one dip. Allow 1/4 cup
per guest. At bigger parties, I often supply two or three, spacing them
around the room(s) with dippers at each location. MICROWAVE OVEN METHOD:
FOR 1/4 POUND DRIED TOMATOES: With 1 cup water in a 2-1/2 quart souffle
dish, cook, covered, at 100% in a high-wattage oven 5 minutes; prick
plastic to release steam; stir; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. In a
low-wattage oven, cook 9 minutes and 9 minutes. FOR 1/2 POUND DRIED
TOMATOES: With 2 cups water in a 13x9x2-inch oval glass or ceramic dish,
cook in a high-wattage oven 8 minutes, then 8 minutes. In a low-wattage
oven, cook 12 minutes and 14 minutes. FOR 1 POUND DRIED TOMATOES: With 4
cups water in a 5-quart casserole, cook in a high-wattage oven 14 minutes,
then 14 minutes. In a low-wattage oven, cook 20 minutes and 20 minutes.
STOVE-TOP METHOD: Cover sun-dried tomatoes with water in a nonreactive
saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to
a simmer and cook, covered, for 22 minutes. Allow to cool. Drain. Recipe
from "Party Food" by Barbara Kafka. Source: Party Food by Barbara Kafka