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There is nothing like the flavor of a fresh tomato. They have a rich, slightly sweet, slightly acidic taste, but it really all depends on the variety you get! If you don’t like the flavor of one, just try another one.
I am pretty sure tomatoes could define the smell of summer. They have such a fragrant and unique aroma. The smell of a summer tomato transports me back to my grandpas garden where we helped out during the summer.
It’s such a shame that this amazing flavor gets so drastically altered during the canning process. The sauce just isn’t as satisfying out of a can. The only way to ensure the best quality and flavor is to make your own fresh tomato sauce.
What tomatoes to use:
Any time you are making a tomato sauce, you are going to want to opt for the plum tomatoes. They have a better meat to pulp ratio than regular slicing tomatoes. Which means more bang for your buck in sauce making.
There are several different kinds of plum tomatoes, however, so you will need to taste around to see which particular flavor you prefer.
If you are gardening your own tomatoes, don’t let them get too big. There is more flavor in smaller tomatoes. There is also more flavor in tomatoes that are picked while they are green and left to ripen on a window sill.
If you are purchasing your tomatoes reach for the smaller tomatoes, and make sure they are unrefrigerated for maximum flavor.
Tips for texture:
After blanching and peeling the tomatoes, there is a chance to change the texture to suit your preference. You could run it through a food mill for the smoothest possible sauce. If you want a smooth sauce with a slight texture to it, puree it in the food processor. If you’d prefer a chunkier sauce, put the blanched tomatoes in the pot to break down during cooking.
Making your own fresh tomato sauce can be time consuming, but doesn’t take up much more time or effort to make a larger batch. So the two gallons that this recipe makes is ideal. Summer only rolls around once a year, so preserve the flavor by freezing this amazing sauce.
For this recipe you will need quite a bit of tomatoes. 25 pounds to be exact! They will be split up into a 10 pound portion, and a 15 pound portion. They will then be processed differently to be combined at the end of the recipe. You will also need 3 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt to taste.
Using a paring knife or a tomato corer, remove the core from the tomato.
Flip the tomato over and score it with a sharp knife. Only cut about ¼ inch deep (not all of the way through the meaty part), or the pulp could be boiled out during the next step. By doing this we are starting the peeling process.
Continue to core and score the rest of the first portion of the tomatoes. This may seem tedious at first, but after a while you start to get your groove and it goes a lot faster.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully place batches of prepped tomatoes into the boiling water and cook for about a minute. Look for the skins starting to wrinkle and split where you scored them earlier. It will appear as though its beginning to peel itself.
Once they are done boiling, use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to a bath of cool water. If you are trying to cool a large batch of tomatoes at once, you may need to use ice to keep your water cool.
Now that your tomatoes have been blanched, it should be easy to peel the skins off. Discard the skins. I like to compost them for next years tomatoes to grow in.
Working in batches, blend the peeled tomatoes in a food processor until smooth (or leave it a little chunky if that’s what you like).
It should take around a 45 seconds to a minute to become the desired consistency. For a chunky sauce, skip this step and let the tomatoes break down during cooking. If you would like a really smooth sauce try using a food mill to break the tomatoes down.
Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Pour all of the sauce into baking dishes, and bake it for at least two hours. Stir it every 15-30 minutes depending on how thin of a layer the sauce is in. It should be thick and spreadable when it is done.
While the first portion of tomatoes are baking and reducing in the oven, prep the other portion in the same way as the first tomatoes.
Dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Saute the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil until you can easily mash a piece of onion with a wooden spoon.
Once the onion and garlic is cooked, add the second batch of sauce into the pot (or multiple smaller pots) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat, and stir in a large sprig of basil. Let the basil steep for 5-10 minutes before removing and discarding it.
Mix in the tomato paste that you made earlier.
Salt the sauce to your taste. I find that for this sized batch about two teaspoons is a good amount of salt.
And there you have it! It took a bit of time and work, but it is all worth it in the end. It’s a simple sauce but a tasty one! All of the natural flavors of the fresh tomatoes are still present. This sauce is great for pasta dishes, soup, or chicken parmesan.
If you have a lot of tomatoes to process, try organizing a work party! Have a group of family or friends come over to help. It will go much faster and you can get more done. At the end you can have a pasta dinner to celebrate!
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 10 pounds ripe plum tomatoes
- 15 pounds ripe mixed tomatoes (mostly plum tomatoes)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Using a paring knife, core the stem out of the tomatoes. Flip the tomato over to cut a shallow “X” in the bottom. (Continue this process with the rest of the first portion of tomatoes.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and carefully place batches of prepped tomatoes in the water to cook for about 60 seconds. Once the skins start to wrinkle and crack where they are scored, transfer the tomatoes to a bath of cool water. Peel the tomatoes with your fingers and discard the skins. Puree the peeled tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Pour the sauce into rimmed baking dishes and bake for at least two hours. (The sauce should be thick and spreadable.)
Core, score, blanch, peel, and blend the second portion of tomatoes in the same way you processed the first portion. Dice the onion, and mince the garlic. In a large pot saute the onion, and garlic in the oil until the onions are soft enough to cut through with a wooden spoon. Pour in the sauce from the second portion of tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Stir in a large sprig of basil, and let steep 5-10 minutes. Discard the basil, and mix in the fresh tomato paste you made earlier. Salt to taste.
Recipe Notes:
- This recipe can be scaled up or down as needed.
- This sauce will stay good in the refrigerator for about a week, and up to three months in the freezer.
What recipes will you create with your fresh tomato sauce?