Hot, hot, hot …
Here is the recipe for one of the main things to prepare during the hot August month: sun-dried tomatoes, from the kitchen of SicilianFoodLovers
First step – get the best and freshest tomatoes possible. Cut them in half and sprinkle with large amounts of rock salt. The salt absorbs water allowing the tomatoes to dry. Spread them out on a large enough surface also easy to move. Place them in an appropriate position where they will receive the next ingredient, copious amount of sun.
If should ever been a sign of a cloud in our beautiful summer sky that might turn into one of those sudden summer rains (which will last no more than 20 minutes but enough to ruin the tomatoes!) put them back in for safety and wait for tomorrow. Once ready they will look like wrinkly old things – perfect. Time for drying depends on the amount of water tomatoes contain.
Collect them and place them in warm water for a short time just to get rid of the salt. Allow them to dry again, perhaps with another short stint in the sun. Then you could simply place them in jars with olive oil, or get a bit more creative and place some basil leaves in between two slices and then put them in olive oil. Enjoy all through winter … with bread (a kind of bruschetta) or in salad or with anchovies for a very Sicilian sauce for pasta!