Tomato's to sauce

[s1120]

I have a TON of Roma tomatos getting ready to ripen up, and when they are done, I plan to turn them into sauce. Now we have been making sause for years, but always with canned tomatos, and paste. How would I prosses the fresh tomatos into sauce? Any tips for someone just starting?

[pbenven]

I use a food mill (what I grew up calling a "passa tutto"). Seeds and skin will stay behind.

For a basic sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
~28oz of the now-pureed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic - whole
a small handful of fresh basil, (I chop mine, some say your not supposed to)

Add the oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sweat them for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree, basil, and garlic. Using high heat, bring to simmer and then lower the heat again. Let it simmer like that, stirring occasionally, until it's the consistency you like - probably somwhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour.

Important! I like to leave my bulk supplies in the most basic form possible - it makes them more versatile. This is a basic tomato sauce. If you want to actually use it as a pasta sauce, you need to add salt.

What I like to do with this is to start with about 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced. I put them in a cold frying pan with about a tbsp of olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Heat until the garlic starts to sizzle and remove from the heat. Add some crushed chili and a little of the tomato sauce. Return to the heat to warm the sauce through. Add your cooked pasta to the pan, along with a little of the pasta water and toss for about a minute - Pasta a l'Arabiatta (pasta of the furious man).

[s1120]

Oh... Ok, I'm lost. Whats a food mill. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]


What do they look like, and where do you get one? Thanks.

[pbenven]

This page has them. Mine is a lot like the white one except that it is stainless. No way would I pay more than 30 or 40$ for one. I use mine to make mashed potatoes, too.

[s1120]

OHHH OK. My Mom had one to make apple sauce. No problem, thanks. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[GaryM]

Hey me too! They make the best mashed potatos you'd ever hope to see.