Homemade Tomato Garlic Paste Recipes

HOMEMADE TOMATO-GARLIC PASTE

Steps:

• Peel and chop garlic.
• Cut tomatoes into wedges and seed.
• Put tomatoes and garlic into blender, season and puree.
• Pour the tomato-garlic paste into the jar, cover the jar with airtight lid and put it into fridge.
• Can be eaten straight away, but keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

TOMATO AND GARLIC PASTA

Steps:

• Place tomatoes in a kettle, and cover with cold water. Bring just to the boil. Pour off water, and cover again with cold water. Peel. Cut into small pieces.
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• In a large skillet or saute pan, saute the garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The garlic should just become opaque, not brown. Stir in the tomato paste. Immediately stir in the tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer until the pasta is ready; add the basil.
• Drain the pasta, but do not rinse in cold water. Toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and then mix into the sauce. Reduce the heat as low as possible. Keep warm, uncovered, for about 10 minutes when it is ready to serve. Garnish generously with fresh Parmesan cheese.
• VARIATIONS: Saute fresh quartered mushrooms with the garlic, or add shoestring zucchini along with the tomato.

GARDEN TOMATO PASTE

Steps:

• Wash tomatoes and remove cores; coarsely chop- no need to peel.
• In a large heavy saucepan, combine tomatoes with remaining ingredients.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 25-30 minutes or until all ingredients are soft.
• Press through a foodmill (preferable) or sieve.
• Return to a clean heavy saucepan and cook over very low heat for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until very thick.
• May take a bit longer.
• Cool and pack into ice cube trays.
• Freeze and transfer to freezer bags.

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.