Sun-dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil

Cheap sun-dried tomatoes can be hard, extremely salty or almost leathery. That is exactly what these are not. Careful drying concentrates the flavour, while preserving them in olive oil makes the tomatoes wonderfully tender again.

The result is that deep, concentrated tomato flavour for which sun-dried tomatoes are loved, without having to chew them as though they were dried fruit.

The principle is actually very simple. Ripe tomatoes contain a great deal of water. As they slowly dry, much of that moisture disappears and the natural sugars, acids and aromas become far more concentrated.

In southern Italy this has been a way of preserving the abundance of the summer harvest for centuries. What began mainly as a method of preservation also creates an entirely different flavour experience from a fresh tomato.

The flavour is deeply tomato-rich, lightly sweet and savoury at the same time. Drying creates plenty of depth and umami. The texture retains enough firmness for a pleasant bite, while the olive oil keeps the tomatoes soft and tender.

That makes them just as good eaten straight from the jar as they are used as an ingredient. The main danger is eating half the jar while you are still cooking.

After drying, the tomatoes are preserved in Extra Virgin olive oil. That may sound obvious, but with preserved vegetables it certainly is not. Many products are packed in inexpensive vegetable oil or a neutral oil.

Here, the oil is part of the flavour. It makes the tomatoes softer and rounder and its fruity character works beautifully with the concentrated tomato flavour.

The Extra Virgin olive oil absorbs flavour from the tomatoes while they are stored. So make sure you use it. Spoon it over bruschetta, mix it into a dressing, use it with pasta or drizzle it over burrata. Throwing it away would almost be a waste.

They contain so much concentrated flavour that you usually need only a small amount. Slice them into strips for cooking, or leave them whole when they deserve to be seen on an antipasti or sharing board.

Galantino is first and foremost a producer of high-quality Extra Virgin olive oil. You can taste that philosophy in its delicacies too. The oil is not simply a liquid used to preserve the product; it is an ingredient that contributes to the final flavour.

It is starting to sound almost suspicious when we keep saying it ourselves. But this is exactly the kind of product that made us think after tasting it: why would we sell an inferior version? Intense, tender, beautifully sweet and savoury, and preserved in genuine Extra Virgin olive oil. A jar that usually empties faster than planned.