Frozen Garden Tomatoes For Winter Soups And Sauces Recipes

FROZEN GARDEN TOMATOES FOR WINTER SOUPS AND SAUCES

Steps:

• Core tomatoes, then freeze in freezer bags (don't bother peeling them).
• To use frozen tomatoes, plunge into simmering sauces or soups; burst skins will float to the surface making them easy to remove.

SIMPLE TOMATO PUREE

Steps:

• Liquidise the tomatoes in a blender.
• Simmer the tomatoes and sugar together in a large heavy duty saucepan for several hours until a thick puree consistency has been achieved, stirring occasionally ( mine took 8 hours ).
• Push puree through sieve to remove seeds.
• Freeze portions in small ziploc feezer bags.

FRESH GARDEN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add sliced garlic. Cook and stir for about 30 seconds before adding basil leaves. Sizzle garlic and basil in olive oil until the thinnest slices of garlic just start to turn golden. Quickly transfer in tomatoes. Add salt and pepper flakes and increase heat to medium-high.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture simmers and the tomatoes have completely collapsed and liquefied. Turn off the heat.
• Using a strainer or colander, strain the sauce into another pot, pressing everything through with the back of a ladle or spatula, until nothing is left in the colander except the skins and seeds.
• Place strained sauce back over medium heat and reduce to about 5 cups, or until desired thickness. Taste for seasoning and use immediately, or store in an airtight container until needed.

HEARTY GARDEN FRESH HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP OR SAUCE

Steps:

• Sauté first 5 ingredients in olive oil until soft in an 8-10 quart pot.
• Make a bundle of the sage, thyme and bay leaves by wrapping them with string in cheesecloth (you can tie the string to a pot handle to make it easier to remove later).
• Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Let cool.
• Puree through a food mill fitted with a medium blade. The use of a medium blade gives you a soup with plenty of pulp (you can adjust blade size if you like). Reheat and adjust seasonings as needed. Add a splash of heavy cream before serving if you want cream of tomato soup.
• If you don't have a food mill you can also make this a semi-chunky soup, but I'd recommend a smaller dice for onions, carrots, celery and red peppers.
• To make a sauce, return to pot after pureeing and let it continue to simmer over low heat until it reaches the desired consistency.