crushed tomatoes
How to Make Crushed Tomatoes
Making your own canned tomatoes is an activity worth giving a shot. It requires a little patience, where the results definitely pay off. It's not just healthy, but packs a flavor punch like no other commercially-packed sauce.
- 6 medium-sized Roma tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. of olive oil
- 1 tbsp. of lemon juice
- ½ tsp. of salt (add more if required)
- 1 tbsp. of sugar (optional)
- Mason jar (pint)
- 1 tbsp. of dried chives (optional)
- ½ tsp. of dried mint
- 1 tsp. of dried basil
- Blanch the tomatoes for 45 seconds in boiling water, so that the skin comes off, easily.
- Peel the tomatoes and then deseed them, using a sharp knife to remove the seeds from the fleshy portions that hold them. Get rid of other unwanted parts of the tomato like the stalk.
- Slice the tomatoes into chunky bits; there's no need to dice or slice them. You can roughly chop them up. There's no need to mash it up in any way, either.
- In a large nonstick saucepan, add the olive oil, salt, and 1/6th of the tomato chunks to it.
- Let it come to a boil, stirring continuously to help it reduce. Add the rest of the tomatoes once the previous batch starts to liquefy.
- Add the lemon juice to the mason jar. Using a strainer, filter the puree through it by placing it over the jar's mouth. Don't fill the jar up till its brim. You must leave at least ½ an inch of space from the lid's underside. Seal the jar tightly and let it cool down to room temperature; place it in the refrigerator for later use. Be sure to reseal the jar properly every time you use the sauce, or it'll go bad sooner than expected.
- Do not place the jar in the freezer or it'll break from the icy sauce's expansion.