Tomato Paste (Conserva)
Tomato paste, when made by hand is a loving and caring process. And when done as such, you will create something that when you eat it, tastes like love and care. Making this with fresh tomatoes at the peak of their season is the key to this recipe. You may do it out of season but we both know it will just not taste the same.
I implore you to use good olive oil in this recipe as well. There is nothing else like a good olive oil. If you ever want to see what I mean, try buying a cheap one and a good one and do a side by side taste. When I say good, I am not telling you to break the bank and go out there to buy the most expensive thing you can find. I am simply saying to spend a bit more on a product you will enjoy more. You can find them for around $12. Just don’t go buying that $3 one that really cannot be called olive oil.
Mini Lesson
And in case you do not know this, olive oil does go rancid after opening it. So don’t just save it for months on end for special occasions just because it cost a bit more. Enjoy it. We are all allowed to be a bit indulgent when it comes to making good food are we not?
The resulting product of the use of a good olive oil and peak season tomatoes is no comparison to the canned stuff you find at a grocery store. The caramelized natural sugars combined with the deep and dark flavors from the slowly cooked tomatoes is unreal. Making this as a large batch also means that you can enjoy it year round in a variety of dishes well into the cold months.
To cook the tomato paste
You start by coring the tomatoes, removing the stem area and roughly chopping them. Move them to a large pot preferably with a wide base to it. This will help speed up the cooking time because the heat can reach the tomatoes more easily. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and turn the stove top on high. Bring to a boil.
As soon as you reach a consistent boil, reduce the heat until it is just simmering. About medium heat. Be careful to not scorch the tomatoes to the bottom of the pan. Scraping the bottom with a silicone spatula can help prevent this. Cook for about 30 minutes or until you reach the consistency of tomato sauce.
Start heating your oven to 300°f while cooking your sauce. Using an oven thermometer can be extremely helpful here. All ovens are different and this can mess with your cooking. Especially with something that can take this long.
Move the tomato sauce to a fine mesh sieve or very fine colander. press them through to remove the seeds and skins. (You may use a food mill for a much easier job but we don’t all have those.)
To the oven
Oil a large dutch oven or rimmed baking sheet tray. 13×8” half sheet tray or a few smaller trays work fine.
Add the pressed out tomatoes and make sure that it is leveled. Bake until the liquid turns to a thick and rich texture. This will take 3 hours. During the bake, you will need to use a silicone spatula to tend to the edges as they tend to burn more quickly. Simply scrape the edges every so often and move to the center and move some from the center to the edges. This will allow it to cook evenly and create one rich flavor.
Reduce the heat to 200°f and continue baking slowly for as long as possible. This can even cook overnight at this nice low temperature. We are now just dehydrating and reducing the tomatoes down to a paste to concentrate all of that flavor. You should check it once in a while during this process but it does not need nearly as much attention as before.
Once finished, you will be left with a very thick, rich, and tomatoey flavored paste. Take a taste once it is cooled. I dare ya. It is unreal.
Storage for the tomato paste
You can now freeze it in vacuum seal bags or small freezer bags. Or jar/can it. Be sure to follow a good canning manual so that you do not introduce bacteria.
Uses
Tomato paste has a large variety of uses. Because of its long cooking time, it has a very intense flavor that can boost the overall flavor of any dish just by adding a little bit. Most often it is used as a thickener for a sauce. By adding a spoonful of paste to your tomato sauce you will boost the complexity and tomatoey flavors for a better and richer tasting sauce.
Ragu
It doesn’t have to go into things that already have tomato in them. Make ground beef with veggies and add a bit of tomato paste for a wonderful ragu. The paste helps the ragu not become too watered down which tends to happen when making it with whole tomatoes. Then just top a bit of pasta for a tasty dinner or use it to layer a lasagna!
Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary is another great use for that tomato paste. Mix it in with a bit of horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, sugar (such as agave or white sugar), ice, and vodka then garnish with a stick of celery and maybe a lime wheel. Then sit back and relax because it is probably Sunday.
Vinaigrette loves a bit of tomato paste
Make a Vinaigrette. Just add a dollop of tomato paste to any vinaigrette for an additional bit of flavor and caramelized sugars. Use it to top off a salad or marinate some mozzarella and olives in it overnight for a delicious snack for the next week or two.
Stew
Just add it to a stew. A good hearty stew could always use a bit more richness and complexity. So the next time you find yourself making a stew just add a bit of tomato paste while its simmering on the stove. This is an especially good one for when we get into those colder months but we miss a bit of those summer flavors. It doesn’t all have to be root vegetables. A bit of your paste saved from the summer with bring some warmth into the colder months.
Tomato paste in Oil
Make a nice oil for garnishing. Add tomato paste to olive oil and heat on a very low and gentle temperature for a while and watch as the oil turns red and takes on the beautiful flavors of the tomato. Once it is done, put it on salads or toss cooked vegetables in it with a bit of salt and pepper.
Homemade tomato paste
Equipment
- 1 medium sized sauce pot
- 1 wide bottom dutch oven you may also use a rimmed baking tray
Ingredients
- 8 lbs Fresh tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- You start by coring the tomatoes, removing the stem area and roughly chopping them. Move them to a large pot preferably with a wide base to it. This will help speed up the cooking time because the heat can reach the tomatoes more easily. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and turn the stove top on high. Bring to a boil.
- As soon as you reach a consistent boil, reduce the heat until it is just simmering. About medium heat. Be careful to not scorch the tomatoes to the bottom of the pan. Scraping the bottom with a silicone spatula can help prevent this. Cook for about 30 minutes or until you reach the consistency of tomato sauce.
- Start heating your oven to 300°f while cooking your sauce.
- Move the tomato sauce to a fine mesh sieve or very fine colander. press them through to remove the seeds and skins. (You may use a food mill for a much easier job but we don’t all have those.)
- Oil a large dutch oven or rimmed baking sheet tray. 13×8” half sheet tray or a few smaller trays work fine.
- Add the pressed out tomatoes and make sure that it is leveled. Bake until the liquid turns to a thick and rich texture. This will take 3 hours. During the bake, you will need to use a silicone spatula to tend to the edges as they tend to burn more quickly. Simply scrape the edges every so often and move to the center and move some from the center to the edges. This will allow it to cook evenly and create one rich flavor.
- Reduce the heat to 200°f and continue baking slowly for as long as possible. This can even cook overnight at this nice low temperature. We are now just dehydrating and reducing the tomatoes down to a paste to concentrate all of that flavor. You should check it once in a while during this process but it does not need nearly as much attention as before.
- Once finished, you will be left with a very thick, rich, and tomatoey flavored paste. Take a taste once it is cooled. I dare ya. It is unreal.
- You can now freeze it in vacuum seal bags or small freezer bags. Or jar/can it. Be sure to follow a good canning manual so that you do not introduce bacteria.