Loving those Sundried Tomato's....I still love My Gardner Guy more!!!

What do you do with tons and tons of tomatoes....my favorite way of preserving them is drying them. (See drying tips below or at the end of this post(web address)...)

Did you know...?
Sun drying is an old Mediterranean tradition that has recently become very popular because of the dried tomatoes intense flavor. Many of the sun dried tomatoes on the market today are actually oven dried in California. Tomatoes are reduced to a leathery pouch and then left or packed in olive oil. They are available for sale year round. I like to dry my own, you can find loads of information that will tell you how to sun dry tomatoes, oven dry tomatoes or even use a dehydrator.
Sun dried tomatoes are easily revitalized; 3 ounces of dried tomatoes will plump up to 2 cups if placed in boiling water for 2 minutes. Diced sun dried tomatoes add lots of piz-zazz to soups, stews, casseroles, pizzas, dips and salad dressings. Added to tomato dishes or topped on a baked potato with sour cream and sun dried tomatoes gives you that extra burst of flavor.

Here are few of my favorite sundried tomato recipes...have fun!!


GEORGIE’S CHICKEN BRYAN



Ingredients

6 large chicken breasts
1 to 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. goat cheese, softened to room temperature

Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

2 T. butter
1 T. finely chopped garlic
1 T. finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 C. dry white wine
1/4 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
10 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 C. finely sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 C. chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper

Prepare the Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce: Place butter, garlic, and onion in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté until garlic and onion are tender and transparent. Add white wine and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer to reduce by half. Reduce heat to low. Add cold butter one piece at a time. Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper and stir to blend ingredients. Set aside.

Prepare the Chicken: Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken 15 - 20 minutes or until cooked through. Divide goat cheese evenly between chicken breasts, placing some on each breast for the last two minutes of cooking. Place cooked chicken on serving platter and spoon Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce over chicken.

DRIED TOMATO-CHEESE SPREAD

FOR THE SPREAD:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Dried Tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried whole basil)

FOR SERVING:

Basil sprig and dried tomato slice (optional garnishes)
pita toast triangles

Position knife blade in food processor bowl. Combine ingredients for the spread in processor bowl and pulse several times or until smoothly blended. Spoon mixture into a cheese crock or small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Let come to room temperature before serving. Garnish, if desired. Serve with pita toast triangles.

Makes 2 cups

Sun Dried Tomato Butter Recipe

1 lb Butter(softened)(unsalted)
4 oz. Sundried Tomatoes (chopped)
1 oz. Fresh Basil (chopped)
1 tsp. Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed)
1 tsp. Red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and mold into desired shape, refrigerate.


Sun-dried Tomato-Pesto Burgers



Ingredients

1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground chuck
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3-oz. of sun-dried tomato's
1 garlic clove, pressed
Hamburger Buns

Toppings: pesto, sliced goat cheese, and sliced pepperoncini salad peppers

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Combine first 4 ingredients gently. Stir chopped sun-dried tomatoes and garlic into meat mixture. Shape mixture into 6 (5-inch) patties.
2. Grill, covered with grill lid, 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until beef is no longer pink in center. Serve on Hamburger Buns. Top each burger with pesto, sliced goat cheese, and sliced pepperoncini salad peppers.

I found this site useful for Tomato drying tips...
www.ghorganics.com/Sun%20Dried%20Tomatoes.htm