Tomato Puree Recipes

TOMATO PUREE

Steps:

• Blanch: Prepare an ice bath. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Score a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato with a knife, then place in boiling water for about 10 seconds. With a slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes immediately to ice bath.
• Peel: When cool, remove and peel tomatoes by gripping the skin between your thumb and the flat part of a knife blade, starting at the scored X.
• Seed: Quarter tomatoes lengthwise and scrape out seeds with your fingers or a spoon. Reserve seeds and juice for Summer Tomato Water.
• Mill: Pass tomatoes through a food mill fitted with a fine disk, removing pulp as it accumulates. Stir in kosher salt to taste. Portion into jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace, and freeze until ready to use, up to 1 year.

TOMATO PUREE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Starting with clean, dry tomatoes, halve smaller tomatoes and roughly chop larger tomatoes. The tomatoes are going to be pureed, so they don't need to be chopped evenly; cutting allows the tomatoes to release their liquid and cook down faster.
• Put all the tomatoes in a pot.
• Over medium-high heat, bring them to a boil. As the temperature in the pot increases, the tomatoes will release some of their liquid, providing their own liquid in which to cook. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady and active simmer (gentle small bubbles should pop up here and there). Cook, stirring frequently until the tomatoes start to break down, for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Let the mixture cool for at least 5 minutes. Run the tomato mixture through a food mill or whirl quickly in a blender or food processor.
• Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds and bits of skin; this also makes for a smooth puree.
• If the tomato puree is thin and looks watery, you can return the puree to the pot, bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until it reduces to the texture you want, stirring often. Taste it along the way-you want a nice, bright tomato flavor along with a smooth and slightly thick texture.
• Transfer the puree to sealable container(s), leaving an inch of headroom, and chill or freeze until ready to use.
• Bring a large canning kettle full of water to a boil.
• Sterilize the pint jars by boiling them for 10 minutes.
• Allow the jars to air dry.
• Soften the lids by simmering them for a few minutes.
• Put 1/4 teaspoon citric acid or 1 tablespoon lemon juice in each pint jar.
• Return the puree to the stove and bring back to a simmer.
• Fill each jar with the hot tomato puree, leaving about 1/2-inch headspace at the top of each jar.
• Set the lids on the jars and secure them with the rings.
• Lower the jars into the canning kettle and boil for 40 minutes. The jars should be covered by at least 1-inch of water.
• Remove the jars and let cool.

HOMEMADE TOMATO PUREE

Steps:

• Wash tomatoes, cut in half, and remove cores. Roughly chop tomatoes and place into a large pot with salt.
• Bring tomatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft and reduced down, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, about 30 minutes.
• Place tomatoes in a blender and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds. Strain tomatoes through a fine mesh strainer, pushing the mixture through with the back of a spoon to remove bits of skin and seeds.
• Ladle into 2 clean pint-sized jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you prefer a thicker puree, return to the pot and simmer to desired consistency, then cool and place in jars.

TOMATO PUREE

Steps:

• SIMMER all ingredients until soft.
• Press through sieve, season with salt and pepper.
• Fill jars to within 1/2 inch of top.
• Put on cap, screw band firmly tight.
• Process in Boiling Water Bath 45 minutes.