September 9, 2011

Savor Summer Tomatoes

If only we could bottle summer tomatoes and treat ourselves to delicious salads, soups, and snacks all year long. I'll settle for some soup and sauce.

Passata

"Passata" means "passed through", so the first thing you need to do in order to make tomato sauce is prepare the tomatoes.

10 lbs. ripe plum tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil leaves (plus 2-3 extra per jar of sauce)
1/4 cup kosher salt or sea salt

Wash tomatoes. Cut them in half and squeeze out and discard excess seeds. Place tomatoes in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in basil and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook 40 minutes, stirring continually so that the tomatoes won't stick or burn on the bottom. Pass mixture through a food mill.

Place 2-3 basil leaves into each of your (sanitized) 32-ounce (or smaller) canning jars. Pour tomatoes into jars, leaving 1/2-inch air space at the top. Seal well and process in boiling water for 40 minutes. Yield: about 5 32-ounce jars.

Tomato Sauce

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced in half
6 fresh basil leaves
2 cups Passata (or 1 16-ounce can peeled tomatoes passed through a food mill)
2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

In a large sauce pot on a medium setting, heat olive oil, garlic, and basil. Cook gently about 2 minutes, until fragrant. Don't brown. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the Passata, salt, and red-pepper flakes.

When sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 30-35 minutes. Remove garlic cloves. Adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside until ready to use over pasta.

Recipes and image via yankeemagazine.com

2 comments:

Kristen516 said...

this sounds so yummy. I remember my mom canning tomatoes when I was growing up! I might have to try this some time. Need the food strainer tho. Thanks for sharing.

Kimberly Merritt said...

My pleasure, Kristen. I had an aunt who "put up" all kinds of vegetables and stored them in her pantry. I have romantic visions of doing the same when I'm old and retired. ;o)