Tomato Paste
I posted a recipe for Tomato Paste last night on the GAB FB page. I made tomato paste this morning. I am returning to report.
I love it! If you've been on here a while, you know that a recipe, for me, is just a suggestion. That being said...
I did not cut and chop my tomatoes. I did not use Roma tomatoes. I did not use sea salt or citric acid. I used the tomatoes that I had on hand from the garden.
The way I fix my tomatoes is by cutting off the tops and putting the tomatoes cut side down in a jelly roll pan. I load up the pan. I usually just use my big tomatoes, but since I've had so many cherry tomatoes, I add some of those to the top. I might add a cut onion, bell pepper, herbs or figs or whatever strikes my fancy. Then I pour a little olive oil over the top. I pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and slide in the full jellyroll pan of tomatoes.
I've learned that it can be helpful to have another jellyroll pan on the oven shelf below to catch any tomato liquid that might boil over.
Roast the tomatoes for about 20-30 minutes until they "smell" done and the tops are slightly blackened.
Take out and let cool. Blend all in a blender, juice and all.
Now you can chose what to do with your tomato sauce. I used this batch to make tomato paste.
After I blended it, peels, seeds and all, I poured it back into the jellyroll pan and put it into the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. That is all it took to reduce and start smelling done. Watch your tomatoes and make sure that they don't overcook.
Scrape the tomato paste away from the sides and store it. You may choose to can it, refrigerate it or freeze it for later.
I really like this recipe. It's easy and takes up less storage space. I don't like to can, so I have a freezer full of containers of tomato sauce. It's much easier to process the sauce through to paste in the beginning.Looking forward to lots of homemade soups and stews this fall. Use some tomato paste and cream for a delicious and easy homemade tomato soup.
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