Tomato puree
Description
Homemade preserves keep for a long time. Tomato purée does not have to be boiled; it can be baked in the oven. To do this, peel the tomatoes, drizzle them with olive oil, and bake in the oven at 180°C for 2 hours, or sauté the tomatoes in olive oil for 15 minutes in a frying pan.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Any variety will work. Plum tomatoes are usually used for tomato puree.
- 2
Step 2
First, wash the tomatoes. Cut out the stem area from the top of each tomato, then make a crosswise cut in the bottom of the tomato. This helps them cook evenly and will later make it easier to peel the skins from the tomatoes.
- 3
Step 3
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop the tomatoes in for about 10 minutes.
- 4
Step 4
Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and place them in a pot of cold water. Leave them in the cold water for 5 minutes, or until the skins begin to loosen.
- 5
Step 5
Peel the skin from the tomatoes if you do not want it in the purée, and discard it. Some people leave the skin on, and it ends up in the purée.
- 6
Step 6
Make tomato puree in a food processor. If you removed the juice and seeds, the puree will be thicker and will be dark red in color.
- 7
Step 7
Boil the strained tomatoes with 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar (optional), and 1 tablespoon salt per 1 kg of fresh tomatoes. This entire step is not mandatory, but it will help the tomato purée keep longer. Some cooks prefer to use plain tomato purée rather than adding the other ingredients.
- 8
Step 8
Cook the puree over low heat until it reaches the desired consistency. The cooking time may vary depending on the variety of tomatoes you use. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the lid after the first 20 minutes to let the puree reduce.
- 9
Step 9
If you plan to store the purée for a long time, be sure to follow proper storage principles, such as creating the right acid balance, bringing it to a boil before storing, and using clean jars for storage, to prevent bacterial growth.
- 10
Step 10
Another way to store puree is to freeze it in ice cube trays and keep the frozen puree cubes in a bag in the freezer. This takes up less space and lets you take out as much puree as you need, whenever you need it.