Preserved Roasted Tomato PurÉe Recipes

OVEN-ROASTED TOMATO PASTE OR PUREE

Steps:

• Peel tomatoes. The easiest way to do this is to drop them into a container of boiling-hot water, leave for 1 minute, then drop them into a container of ice-water - the skin slips right off). Halve them and put into a baking pan large enough to hold them in one layer.
• Dribble with olive oil (the amount is arbitrary - I imagine that's about what I use), sprinkle with minced garlic, generously season with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Give everything a stir to distribute.
• Pop into 350F oven and roast for about 3 hours (this is approximate - it all depends on how thick you want your puree or paste).
• When they're done, I like to mash the tomatoes into a paste because I like a more rustic texture. If you want smoother, use a processor.
• I keep the puree/paste in a tupperware container, in the refrigerator, covered by a thin film of olive oil to prevent oxidization. I dig into it almost daily to provide a burst of flavour into many, many dishes like soups, stews, sauces, gravies, omelettes, etc.
• This freezes well, too.

PRESERVED TOMATO PURéE

Steps:

• Peel, core and roughly chop tomatoes. Put in a large nonreactive pot, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Purée through medium disc of a food mill to remove skins and most seeds.
• Put a rack in a large stockpot or line pot with a folded kitchen towel, then fill with water and bring to a boil. Add quart or pint jars and boil 10 minutes. Jars may be left in warm water until ready to fill. Alternatively, sterilize jars by running them through a dishwasher cycle, keeping them warm in the machine.
• Place canning rings in small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add flat lids to soften rubber gaskets. Rings and lids may be left in water until jars are filled.
• Bring purée to a boil, then down to a sturdy simmer and cook to reduce by one third, about 30 minutes. Ladle hot purée into warm jars, leaving a little more than 1/2 inch head space to accommodate lemon juice. If using citric acid, fill to 1/2 inch head space.
• Into every quart jar, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid. For pints, use one tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. If using salt, add 1 teaspoon to each quart or 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar.
• Wipe jar rims clean with a damp towel. Place lids on jars, screw on rings and lower jars upright into pot of boiling water. Return to a full boil and process for 45 minutes for quarts or 35 minutes for pints. If there are mixed sizes, process for the longer time. Transfer jars to a folded towel and let cool for 12 hours. Jars will ping as they seal.
• Once cool, test the seals by removing rings and lifting jars by their flat lids. If a lid releases, the seal has not formed. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within one week or reprocessed. Rings and jars may be reused, but a new flat lid must be used each time.