Saednews: Everyone has their own way of preparing tomato paste, but here we’ll focus on the traditional method. We’ve uncovered the key steps for making homemade tomato paste, a staple in many Iranian dishes and stews. To ensure your paste stays fresh and mold-free, be sure to use fully ripe tomatoes.
According to SAEDNEWS: Buy tomatoes when they're inexpensive in the summer and enjoy your homemade tomato paste throughout the winter. Use this homemade tomato paste in soups and stews. Preparing tomato paste takes about an hour and requires only four ingredients.
To separate the tomato pulp from the seeds and skins, use a food mill or a sieve. Cooking the tomato pulp reduces it by more than half. Pour the prepared paste into ice cube trays and freeze it.
After straining the tomatoes, place the pot containing the strained tomatoes on low heat to thicken. Once it starts to thicken, add salt and mix it with the paste. To check if your tomato paste is thick enough, create a line on the paste with a spoon. If the line fills quickly, it needs more time to thicken. If it takes a while for the line to fill, your paste is ready. When the paste starts to thicken, stir it continuously to prevent it from burning.
You can use any type of tomato, but the type you choose will affect the final product. Using different tomatoes may fill only three small jars. Using meaty tomatoes will yield nearly double the paste.
The above instructions are for canning homemade tomato paste, but if you prefer an easier method, pour the cooked paste into ice cube trays and freeze it. Whenever you need a small amount of tomato paste, take out a cube. These cubes can be frozen for up to nine months.
10 pounds of tomatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of citric acid or 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Quarter the tomatoes.
Simmer the tomatoes with olive oil. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tomatoes and sauté until soft, and the skins start to separate from the flesh.
Pass the tomatoes through a food mill to separate the pulp from the seeds and skins. Mix the sea salt and citric acid or lemon juice into the paste. Discard the seeds and skins.
Spread the paste on two baking sheets. Divide the tomato pulp between two large baking sheets. You can use a large roasting pan, but it will take longer to cook this way. Bake the tomato pulp until it thickens into a paste. Place the baking sheets in the oven. Check the tomatoes every half hour, stir the paste, and rotate the baking sheets. At this point, combine the contents of the two baking sheets and continue baking.
Transfer the paste to jars. Cover each jar with a layer of olive oil and store it in the refrigerator or freezer. As long as it is well-covered with olive oil and you use a very clean spoon to remove it from the jar, it will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks. Frozen, it will last up to 9 months.
