Villa Sentieri

Passata di Pomodoro (Homemade Tomato Puree)

This easy-to-make tomato puree can be frozen for later use. It brings a blast of late-summer goodness to winter meals. Ten to 20 pounds of tomatoes is a good amount to start with. If you are planning on using more than 20 pounds, I would either divide the tomatoes among several pots or find an extra-wide rondeau (a wide shallow pot) so that there is enough surface area to foster evaporation.

CourseCanning and Preserving, Food Preservation
CuisineItalian

Servings	Prep Time
1quart	20minutes

Cook Time

3hours

Servings	Prep Time
1quart	20minutes

Cook Time

3hours

Ingredients

15-20pounds vine-ripe tomatoesor however much you want
salt1 teaspoon for each quart of chopped tomatoes

Instructions

Wash and dry the tomatoes.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters from top to bottom.
Remove the hard bit where the stem attaches and any bad areas.
Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
Put the tomatoes into a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot (such as stainless steel).
Add one teaspoon of salt for every quart of chopped tomatoes.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. This will take approximately 10-20 minutes depending on volume of tomatoes.
Remove the cover. Stir the tomatoes.
Boil gently, uncovered, for 2 ½ to 2 ¾ hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes. It takes a bit of practice to estimate how much to concentrate the tomatoes to get the desired thickness of puree but don’t sweat it, the tomatoes can be cooked further.
Pass the cooked tomatoes through a food mill to remove skin and seeds.
If the puree seems too thin, return it to the pot and cook it a bit longer after passing it through the food mill.
Portion and freeze or use as desired.

Recipe Notes

A rondeau is useful if you are going to prepare more than 20 pounds of tomatoes as it provides more surface area for evaporation than a deep sauce pan.