Tomato Obsession Continues...Tomato Paste!

I am ok being tomato obsessed because I never seem to find enough ways to eat them! One of my goals was to be able to make a tomato paste to one, thicken my tomato sauces and two, be able to make a completely homemade pizza! I haven't made a pizza yet because I wanted to make sure my paste was actually edible and the right consistency, but pizza is a high priority for me.

To make the paste I bought 5 pounds of tomatoes, yes 5! This was still incredibly cheap (6 bucks) and I have never had so many tomatoes all at once, I was in heaven. For the paste I tried to keep it simple this time by only having tomatoes, oil, salt, pepper and herbs.

This first step was to cut the tomatoes into quarters and then put on the stove in a wok (or your sauce pan of choice) with oil and the herbs. I put the stove top temperature on high and let the tomatoes boil to the point where I could actually see the skin start to peel off.

I specifically bought a new toy for this new idea of mine called a food mill. I absolutely loved it and fully intend on writing a review of that separately later.

My kitchen smelled like an italian restaurant and the delicious scent lasted ALL day, can't complain about that!

After the tomatoes were soft I did spoonfuls (or ladelfuls) into the food mill. The food mill really just takes the meaty part of the tomato and separates it from the skin. It helps make the paste thicker. What I love about the mill I bought was that it is 100% stainless steel and was a breeze to clean up afterwards- and I always think that is important because cleaning up is the least fun part of cooking.

Once all the tomatoes were crushed up by the mill and I had a bowl full of thick juice underneath I went ahead and starting preparing for the easiest part: baking this in the oven for 2 hours with a stir every hour. Before putting in the oven, which was set at 350 degrees, I sprinkled the fresh herbs on top along with a pinch of garlic salt and pepper.

The baking helped to thicken the paste and being uncovered helped remove some of the water that sits in tomatoes. I would set a time to stir it an hour after putting it in, and this helped a lot.

I personally could make paste everyday if I had the energy but I would recommend doing this on a weekend where you will be home for a couple of hours to make sure you don't burn it. Personally I enjoy the idea of putting something in the oven and there being very little maintenance! For the herbs I picked basil and oregano from our herb garden and that really adds a ton of flavor to any type of tomato paste.

After 2 hours the paste was thick and smelled like heaven. Some peope will bake theirs for even longer so I think it depends on the quantity and the type of oven you have. I sprinkled red crushed pepper on top to give it a little something extra and had a taste. It was phenomenal and so much better than a canned paste. This spring I am looking forward to canning paste and giving it to my family. It is something that was a delight to make, and would be a great addition to anyone's home.

Enjoy!

xoxox

#gl #glutenfree #pasta #tomato #paste