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Have you ever found yourself with 10+ kilos of tomatoes in your kitchen? Or seen how incredibly cheap tomatoes are at the end of the season and wished you could take advantage of it? Well, why not make them into a yummy, all purpose sauce? It's time to one of the most easiest, versatile and healthiest sauces out there. Not to mention cheaper than store-bought. It's a sauce you can use for almost dish from Italian, Mexican to even Algerian! With my children having gone back to school, I have more time to devote to winter food preservation. I went to the market and picked up about 10kg of tomatoes ... along with green, red peppers and some season's end fruit. So while the kids were in class, I took advantage of this time making this VERY easy homemade tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes. NO BPAs, high sodium, saturated fats, cholesterol, hidden sugars and preservatives to worry about. Just natural and fresh goodness! And you all know I like things easy and can't be bothered many times! Yeah, I'm lazy. I don't like to score or blanch tomatoes. My version is really easy, as I skip the step of scoring and blanching the tomato. I go straight into cooking the tomatoes. Once they're done they go straight into a food mill. Just a few churns and the sauce is done. And to make it even easier, I often enlist the help of my children who actually think using the foodmill is FUN! And another great thing about this recipe that is suitable to what size batch you want. Small or large. Easy peesy! The key to this recipe is the choice of tomatoes. Many say the general rule is that any tomato that tastes good raw will yield a tasty sauce. Roma and San Marzano tomatoes are recommended for sauces since they have more "dry" flesh and less seeds than most tomatoes. But with that said, I think it's just more practical to use what is local and affordable. I've used Better Boy, Alicante and even Beefsteak tomatoes with a good result. And I even throw in those small cocktail tomatoes in if have too many. It all comes down to what is tasty and cost effective for you. Nutritionally speaking, tomatoes, even cooked one are47% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C, and approximately 22% of the RDA of vitamin A. Due the high levels of Vitamin C, you should try to include tomatoes in the diet to help Iron absorption! Want an exciting variation to this tomato sauce? Be sure to stay tuned in for the post!
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{ HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE WITH FRESH TOMATOES }
ADJUSTABLE TO SMALL OR LARGE BATCH, NO BLANCHING REQUIRED
This recipe is adjustable to any size batch. The below reflects a small batch. To make bigger batches double or triple the amounts. Tomatoes also vary in size, so if you don't have a food scale easy measure is that 1kg or 2lbs (4cups) = 16 roma or San Marzano tomatoes or 6 Better Boy or Beefsteak or around 60 cherry/cocktail tomatoes. Just remember for every 1kg tomatoes you need 1 ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and tsp acid.
FOR THE SAUCE:
1kg - 2 lbs (roughly 4 cups) tomatoes, chopped and skins on (see note above)
60ml - ¼ cup olive oil, ghee or tallow
1 large onion, chopped finely
7+ cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1-2 bay leaves
¾ - 1 tsp black pepper
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (or other sweetener)
1 TBS tomato paste
2 tsp vinegar or lemon
red pepper flakes or Harissa - to taste (optional)
HALVE and quarter the tomatoes. Remove the seeds, if desired. Keep them uniform in size so they cook evenly. Set aside. HEAT the olive in a heavy bottom pan. Sautée the onion and galic until golden until golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic. PUSH the onions to one side of the pan, add in the tomato paste. Allow to caramelize in the pan for about 5 minutes. Add more oil, if needed. NOW add the tomatoes into the pot, along with the remaining ingredients: bay leaves, sugar, lemon/vinegar and pepper flakes/Harissa if using. BRING the temperature up to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer the tomatoes covered for about 15 minutes. Then remove the cover, stir and continue to cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. Stir often. Allow the sauce to reduce and thickened. Allow to cool. Cool completely before handling.
NOW slowly ladle the tomato sauce into a food mill. Slowly turn the handle and pass the sauce through the mill. One pass through will give you a chunky sauce. If you'd like a smooth sauce I would advise pulsing the sauce in a food processor or use a immersion blender. Repeating the process in food mill would be too labor intensive. you can decide to leave the leave the tomato sauce chunky or smooth.
EVEN EASIER - SLOW COOKER METHOD You can easily prepare this sauce in a slow cooker, by simply placing all the ingredients in the pot, turning on the medium setting and allowing to cook for 6-7 hours. Be sure to check the sauce every few hours, if the sauce is too watery after about 5 hours, remove the lid and continue cooking. The liquid will evaporate this way. Then proceed with the recipe as above, running the sauce through a food mill.
To Freeze
Find a base, such as a wide mouth jar or bowl. Place the freezer bag inside and fold over the edge. Ladle the sauce into the bags leaving about 2 fingers wide room for air.
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The key to this recipe is the choice of tomatoes. Many say the general rule is that any tomato that tastes good raw will yield a tasty sauce. Roma and San Marzano tomatoes are recommended for sauces since they have more "dry" flesh and less seeds than most tomatoes. But with that said, I think it's just more practical to use what is local and affordable. I've used Better Boy, Alicante and even Beefsteak tomatoes with a good result. And I even throw in those small cocktail tomatoes in if have too many. It all comes down to what is tasty and cost effective for you.
Does DZ have canning supplies ready for purchase?
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