Cans of tomato puree are one of those things that you always need to have in your pantry, but somehow always manage not to have. Luckily, if you manage to have some fresh tomatoes lying around, you can make your own pretty easily. In fact, make some extra and freeze it for a rainy day. You never know when you’ll need to have some extra tomato puree on hand.
Also, there’s a nice benefit to having fresh tomato puree around. It’s much more tasty than the canned variety, and you can use it to make homemade ketchup, curry, pasta sauce, salsa – you name it.
Tomato Puree Recipe
It doesn’t get any easier than this tomato puree recipe. No, really. It requires tomatoes and boiling water, and about six total steps. Start by boiling some water. Depending on how much tomato paste you want to make, you might want to boil a little or you may want to boil a lot. If you’re experimenting, go for 2-3 large tomatoes to start with before you get the hang of it.
Once the water is boiling, add the tomatoes in and boil for 2-3 minutes. Once boiling, drain the water out and let tomatoes cool off. Use your fingers to slide the skins off of each tomato. Once they’re skinless, toss the skins and throw the tomatoes in a food processor or a blender. Blend them until they’re mixed into a liquid and then pour through a sieve to get rid of the seeds – toss the seeds out.
Now, you’re ready to move on to the final step. Pour the blended tomatoes into a saucepan and heat over low heat until the mixture has thickened to a paste. Once this is finished, you’re ready to put it into an airtight container to store.
Now, if you’re going to freeze, it’s best to use the same method for freezing herbs, which is to pour the tomato puree into an ice cube tray and freeze. When you need to use one, just grab it and thaw it out.
Do you have any tips for making tomato puree or any recipes to share? Let us know about it in the comments!
