Recipe No 209 component Original 2013

Tomato passata

When you have an excess of tomatoes, this is what you do with them. Tomato passata is very versatile and keeps well in the freezer.
Time

Prep:

Total:

Difficulty
very easy
Yield
12–18 serves • 1800 g
Metric Imperial

Processes

  • Tomatoes, fully ripened (16 medium)
    2000 g
  • Basil, finely chopped (1 tbsp)
    3 g
  • Salt (1 tbsp)
    10 g
  • Pepper (¼ tsp)
    2 g
  1. 01
    Combine in the jug of a blender.
  2. 02
    Blend.

  • Red onion (1 large)
    150 g
  • Olive oil (2 tbsp)
    27 g
  1. 03
    Sauté until onion is just golden, about .

  • Garlic, finely chopped (4 cloves)
    12 g
  1. 04
    Add to pan.
  2. 05
    Sauté until aromatic, about .
  3. 06
    Add to tomato mixture .
  4. 07
    Purée.
  5. 08
    Transfer to a saucepan set over high heat.
  6. 09
    Bring to boil.

  • Sundried tomato paste (1 tbsp)
    16 g
  • Tomato purée (1 tbsp)
    16 g
  • Balsamic vinegar (2 tsp)
    12 g
  1. 10
    Add to pan.
  2. 11
    Stir to combine thoroughly.
  3. 12
    Reduce heat and simmer for , stirring frequently.

Notes

After you have reduced the passata to the right consistency in , you can treat it like stock. Freeze overnight in ice trays with about 25 g of mixture in each cube and then transfer to freezer-safe zip lock bags. By knowing the weight of the cubes before freezing, you can accurately measure out a quantity of passata by grabbing the right number of cubes.

For a more intensely flavoured passata, remove the seeds and core from the tomatoes. We find the seeds and core not particularly pleasant in flavour and their pale colour also taints the vivid red of the flesh on its own. Don’t throw away the juice surrounding the seeds. Push the seeds and juice through a coarse sieve and collect the juice. You can add this to the tomato flesh as is; but to intensify the tomato flavour even more, reduce this juice over a low–medium heat until it is a sauce consistency and then add to the blender with the flesh.

Storing

keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freezer for 6 months

Categorisation

Category
component pasta sauce sauce sauce for poultry
Meal
component
Cuisine
italian mediterranean
Diet
vegan vegetarian
Tags
passata tomato