Directions: |
Directions:What to Know Before You Get Started
This goes without saying, but your tomato paste is only as good as the tomatoes you use to make it. For a rich, meaty paste you're going to want to go with concentrated tomato varieties like Roma or Early Girl tomatoes. And of course, use the ripest tomatoes you can find.
We also include lemon juice in this recipe, as it's necessary to ensure safe acidity when canning tomatoes, according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Bottled lemon juice is best, as it's pasteurized, giving it a more consistent acidity. But if you don't plan to can your tomato paste (say you prefer to freeze it or simply refrigerate it), you can skip this step.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE TOMATO PASTE
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
After washing the tomatoes, remove and discard any stems or other debris. Chop the tomatoes into quarters.
Place olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are soft enough that the peels begin to detach from the flesh.
Remove the pot from the heat and push the warm tomatoes through a food mill in order to separate the tomato pulp from the seeds and skins. You can also push them through a large sieve using a rubber spatula.
Discard the seeds and skins and stir the lemon juice and sea salt into the pulp.
Now it's time to reduce the tomato puree into tomato paste. Start by dividing the tomato pulp between two large rimmed baking sheets.
Bake the tomato pulp in the preheated oven for about 3 hours, or until the pulp is reduced to a paste. Stir the pulp every half hour, rotating the baking pan for even reduction. There should be no remaining water once it's done baking.
HOW TO CAN TOMATO PASTE
Fill four-ounce jars with the tomato paste, and seal with the lids and rings. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool to room temperature. Store in a cool, dry place (like your pantry) for up to one year. Once opened, refrigerate for up to a week.
HOW TO REFRIGERATE TOMATO PASTE
If you don't want to process the tomato paste, you can always store it in the fridge for several weeks without any processing. Simply scrape the paste into your jars and top each jar with a layer of olive oil. Seal the lids and rings and refrigerate for up to four weeks. Be sure to use clean utensils to remove the tomato paste in order to prevent mold from growing in the jar.
HOW TO FREEZE TOMATO PASTE
You can freeze your tomato paste one of two ways: in jars or in individual portions. To freeze tomato paste in jars, simply transfer the paste to the jars, top with a layer of oil, seal, and freeze for up to nine months.
Oftentimes recipes call for just a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Freeze the paste in a silicone ice cube tray and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Label the bag and freeze the cubes for up to nine months. Whenever you need a small amount of tomato paste, simply pop a cube out of your freezer.
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