My summer ritual is making tomato sauce with friends. We make a simple sauce and process it in a hot water bath to preserve it for the winter. After a long day of food preparation, I make pasta and we dip into our vat of freshly made sauce.
Pick tomatoes when they are firm but not hard because they continue to ripen after they are picked. When buying, avoid ones that have bruises or cuts on the skin and keep tomatoes separate from raw meat, poultry and seafood in the grocery cart.
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Store whole tomatoes unwashed, uncovered and out of direct sunlight. When tomatoes are ripe, store in the refrigerator or cold room and use within days. Throw away cut or peeled tomatoes that have been left out at room temperature for more than two hours.
Fresh Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients:
- 8 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 tbsp. finely minced garlic 30 mL
- 1/2 c. coarsely chopped fresh basil 125 mL
- 1/4 c. finely chopped fresh parsley 60 mL
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 15 mL
- 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 8 mL
- 1 tsp. finely minced fresh tarragon 5 mL
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 2 mL
- 2 baguettes, cut in 1/2-inch (3 cm) slices
- 6 cloves garlic, cut in half
How to cook:
- In a bowl, mix all ingredients except bread and garlic cloves.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside, unrefrigerated, for three hours.
- Carefully toast both sides of bread on a baking sheet under the broiler.
- Rub cut side of garlic on each slice and generously top with tomato mixture.
Tomato Jam
Ingredients:
- 5 lb. tomatoes, finely chopped 2.2 kg
- 3 1/2 c. sugar 750 mL
- 1/2 c. lime juice 125 mL
- 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger 10 mL
- 1 tsp. cinnamon 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 3 mL
- 1 tbsp. salt 15 mL
- 1 tbsp. red chili flakes 15 mL
How to cook:
- Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot.
- Bring to a boil and reduce temperature to a simmer.
- Stirring regularly, simmer until it reduces to a sticky, jam-like state. This will take about 1 1/2 hours.
- When the jam has cooked down, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch (2 mm) headspace.
- Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes in eight ounce (250 mL) jars.
Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Roasting caramelizes the sugars and heightens the flavour of tomatoes. Add to dishes as a substitute for sundried tomatoes.
Slice fully ripened tomatoes of any variety in half crosswise.
- Lay cut side up on a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Drizzle lightly with olive oil and slow bake in a 225 F (100 C) oven for about six hours, depending upon the juiciness of tomatoes.
- Use immediately, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze by placing on a dry baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Transfer to a freezer bag.
Green Tomato Relish
- 1 lb. green tomatoes, thinly sliced 0.5 kg
- 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
Combine in a bowl with two tablespoons (15 mL) coarse salt. Refrigerate for 12 hours. Drain and rinse. Combine in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves:
- 1 c. apple cider vinegar 250 mL
- 3/4 c. light brown sugar 185 mL
Stir in:
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 3 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 3 mL
Add the tomatoes and onions and stir together well. Tie together in a cheesecloth bag:
- 1/2 tsp. whole cloves 3 mL
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 3 mL
- 1/2 tsp. celery seeds 3 mL
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken
Simmer, stirring often, until the tomatoes no longer hold their shape, about one hour. For a thicker relish, remove lid for second half of cooking period. Remove spice bag and process relish in a hot water bath 16 ounce (500 mL) jars for 15 minutes or keep in the refrigerator up to one month.
Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- plum or roma tomatoes
- yellow onions, finely diced
- fresh basil, optional
- garlic, minced
- salt
How to cook:
- Grill tomatoes on charcoal or gas barbecue until skin blackens.
- Immediately drop into cold water and slip off skins.
- The meaty part goes into a large pot and is cooked slowly with finely chopped onions, garlic and salt to taste.
- Add chopped fresh basil in the last five minutes of cooking, if desired.
- Use immediately, keep in refrigerator for up to a week or water bath process 16 ounce (500 mL) jars for 35 minutes.
Hot Water Bath Processing
This method of food preservation is suitable for food with a pH of 4.6 or lower. Tomatoes are borderline so add a teaspoon (5 mL) of lemon juice or citric acid to each two cup (500 mL) jar. If the recipe contains vinegar, there will be enough acid to safely process.
- Wash jars and lids and sanitize in a water bath just below the boiling point.
- Rubber rings and snap lids are kept in hot but not boiling water until used.
- Ladle hot food into jars leaving a headspace of 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) for tomatoes and chutneys.
- Slide non-metallic utensil down the inside of jars to remove any air bubbles, then readjust headspace.
- Wipe rim of each jar, place lid on jar and apply screw band only until resistance is met. Do not over tighten.
- Place in canner of boiling water. Adjust water level so jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm).
- When process time has elapsed, turn off heat and remove jars without tilting.
- Do not retighten. Cool upright, undisturbed for 24 hours.
- Check a reliable canning resource book for more information. Label and store in cool dark place.
