Condiments & preserves
Tomato paste
Tomato paste
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
- Sea salt
Preparation
- Wash the tomatoes well
- Sort them: keep the hard ones to prepare concasse, throw away the rotten ones, etc..
- Remove the stems and any bruises or imperfections
- Cut the tomatoes and throw them in a tomato churning machine
- Add a handful of sea salt to the tomatoes as they are churned into a purée
- Push the tomato purée through a sieve
- Squeeze out all the juices and throw away the remaining seeds and skin
In a large shallow tin-lined copper pot
- Pour the pure tomato juice through a sieve into a large tin-lined copper pot which is properly set on the fireplace
- Monitor the fire and add the necessary wood to keep the heat consistent
- Once the juice starts boiling and thickening, start stirring the pot to make sure the paste doesn't stick to the pot and get burned
- Throw in a handful of sea salt
- Once a while, clean the sides of the pot with a flexible spatula
- After the mixture starts to thicken, taste to adjust the salt
- Once the mixture thickens and resembles a paste, remove it from the heat
In clean dry jars
- Instantly fill the canning jars with the hot tomato paste
- Tap the jars to make sure all air comes out
- Immediately, close the lids tight
Use
We use tomato paste in many soups, stews, and stuffing.
Storing
Store the tomato paste jars in your pantry or a cool, dark place.
Store the opened jars in the fridge.