Homemade Tomato Garlic Paste Recipes

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.

HOMEMADE TOMATO PASTE

Steps:

• Stir to combine the tomatoes with the olive oil and salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes give up their juices and the skins start to peel off, about 10 minutes.
• Let cool for a few minutes, then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the finest disk into a bowl. (If you don't have a food mill, you can press through a sieve.) Transfer the puree to the Dutch oven. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to thicken and is reduced by about half, about 1 hour. Lower the heat so the puree is barely bubbling and continue to cook, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until very thick, 30 minutes to 1 hour more, depending on how juicy your tomatoes were. Once the puree is quite thick, keep an eye on it and cook, stirring frequently, until brick red and completely dried out (but not burnt), 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool completely.
• Transfer to a nonreactive jar and cover with a thin film of olive oil to prevent a crust from forming. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. For longer storage, transfer to ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, remove and transfer the cubes to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE II

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute onions in the oil until golden brown. Add crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let the sauce come to a boil, lower heat to low and stir occasionally until desired thickness. Sauce is ready when oil rises to the top. Skim off oil.

TOMATO-GARLIC LENTIL BOWLS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute onions 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in lentils, seasonings and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, 25-30 minutes., Stir in lemon juice and tomato paste; heat through. Serve with yogurt and, if desired, tomatoes and cilantro.

HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE I

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of iced water. Plunge whole tomatoes in boiling water until skin starts to peel, 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath. Let rest until cool enough to handle, then remove peel and squeeze out seeds. Chop 8 tomatoes and puree in blender or food processor. Chop remaining two tomatoes and set aside.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic in oil and butter until onion starts to soften, 5 minutes. Pour in pureed tomatoes. Stir in chopped tomato, basil, Italian seasoning and wine. Place bay leaf and whole celery stalks in pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours. Stir in tomato paste and simmer an additional 2 hours. Discard bay leaf and celery and serve.