R ~Canning Tomatos and Sauces

[Guest Guest]

Tomato Paste Recipe

Basically tomato paste is tomato that has been reduced, reduced again, and then reduced some more! It's ideal to make on a cold day over the gentle heat of a coal range.

 

* 24 large tomatoes

* 2 teaspoons salt or to taste

* olive oil

 

First score a cross on the bottom of each tomato using a sharp knife. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, then drop into ice cold water. After this the tomato peel should almost fall off. Pull the remaining peel off the tomatoes. Cut the core out and remove all the seeds. I keep the peelings for making homemade stock and the seeds for adding into stews etc. Chop the flesh and measure what you're left with which would normally be around 4 litres. Add ½ teaspoon of salt to each litre. Place the tomato and salt in a large pot and simmer over a low heat for around 1 hour, stiring often to prevent any catching and burning. Remove from the heat and press through a fine sieve or process through a food mill. Return the tomatoes to the pot and continue to cook very slowly until the paste holds its shape on a spoon, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent any sticking.

 

Spoon into hot sterilized jars, leaving 3cm (1 in) at the top. Slop on a little olive oil to cover and seal. Ensure the lids have vacuum sealed, or the paste will spoil. Alternatively you can fill and freeze ice cube trays and free flow cubes of paste in freezer bags for use later.

http://www.cuisinedumonde.com/tomato_paste.html

 

 

[Guest Guest]

Tomatoes are one thing you can freeze and then cook down during the winter, when you *want* more moisture in the house.

 

You can just throw them into the freezer in plastic grocery bags. The skins will be tougher, but you'll be cooking them off, anyway. Wash them, thaw, and cook. *simple*

 

So if you have freezer space and find you have too many tomatoes at the end of summer to keep up with your canning (or too few for the canner), save them up till later.

[cartoongirl]

Never new you could freeze tomatoes! Thx. Westies recipe looks good.

[twilap]

How much tomato paste does those 24 tomato's make?