Consumption Rebellion
Hello everyone!
Well, we are finally at the end of our tomato season here at ONC*. Readers of my personal blog will know that I'm no gardener. Having said that, I have been blessed by tomatoes growing in my garden anyway. I didn't plant them there, they just pop up every year at random spots in my garden. Its been really lovely.
But now that I'm at the end of the tomato season, I have heaps of cherry tomatoes that must now be used up quickly!
I need some tomato paste so I thought I'd try making some from scratch. So I need your help! Can you please recommend a good simple tomato paste recipe using cherry tomatoes for me?
Thank you!
*ONC = Our Nation's Capital (Australia)
10 comments:
I roast them and then simmer them down in a crockpot to the desired thickness.
Just planting tomatoes here!
Slow roast to semi-dried with a sprinkle of salt and a little sprinkle of sugar. Blend with just enough vinegar to loosen it up. Bottle in small sterilized jars. If you intend to eat fairly soon, add a film of oil to the top and it will keep for a few weeks in the fridge. Pressure cook the sealed jars for 10 minutes if you intend to keep longer.
Thanks for this post and the comments! :o)
I also suggest roasting, then cool down and if you have a hand crank sauce mill, run this through and skin and seed them. I have a salsa attachment to mine which makes a thick sauce and then place this back in the oven to roast or place in a crock pot and let it cook until its at the consistency you want, then process either by water bath or pressure canner.
Thank you all for your comments!
Okay, I know I can do the roast but want to clarify a few things.
When you say "crockpot" does this mean "slow cooker"? If that is what it is, then I can do it.
I also don't have any other gadgets (eg hand crank sauce mill or pressure canner).
I've got jars but they're just standard jars. I sterilise them by just washing in really hot water then pouring boiling water over them. Is that enough?
Sorry for the questions. As you can see I'm really new at this! If I can get away with something really simple and doesn't require special equipment, I'd love it!!
Yes E, crockpot is slow cooker.
I roast the tomatoes and then just bottle them.
Sterilize the same as you just pointed out... and then put them into a massive pan of water to simmer to seal the bottle if keeping them.
Or just freeze the roasted tomatoes. :) x
Here is my post with photos for tomato paste.
http://suburbanjubilee.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/tomato-paste.html
Hope it helps, you certainly have many different options though...
Hi Eilleen,
I'm all about simple and easy and one day happily stumbled upon finding that roasted tomatoes blended up with a blender/processor were perfect as a 'tomato paste'. It makes a rich pesto/dip base as well.
I'm really glad you asked because the tips here in the comments are great - the film of oil is probably what I will do and make small batches as I go. I don't have a pressure canner so if I do a larger batch I'm probably more likely to freeze some small portions.
Good luck!
Melania
Cherry tomatoes have lots of seeds, so blending or straining after cooking would probably be a good idea. After cooking, straining, and further cooking down in an open slow cooker overnight, I then dry the paste even more on spread on plates. I make 1" paste balls, layer them in a jar, cover with olive oil and store refrigerated. Recipe and instructions here:
http://firesignfarm.blogspot.com/2008/09/tomato-paste-balls-refrigerated.html
Thank you all so much! My tomatoes are now in the slow cooker. I'll let you all know how I go!
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