Tomato dressing for the winter: a simple homemade recipe

Who wouldn't want to always have a homemade, always fresh analogue of tomato paste on hand? It is easy to make it yourself - dressing from fresh tomatoes for the winter is prepared quickly, and the workpiece is enough for a long time. During periods of rising prices for vegetables, you can not stop pampering yourself and your family with natural dressings. Add it to dishes and salads, use it as a sauce for meat or fish - it will be in place everywhere.

The specifics of preparing tomato dressing for the winter

No matter what they do with tomatoes, they will not lose their useful properties - these vegetables are equally resistant to heat treatment and freezing. That is, after preparing stocks of such homemade tomato paste, you can defrost it and still get a he althy product.

It's really very easy - even an inexperienced hostess can do it, who, having once compared the sauce on homemade pasta and it on the purchased one, will forever make a choice in the direction of the first option.

Product Requirements

Obviously, tomatoes must be fresh. You should not believe the stories that for pasta you can take discounted tomatoes due to bruising, small areas of rot and sweetness. Even if these spoiled places are removed, the vegetable itself is no longer fresh, does not have the proper elasticity, and its taste is spoiled.

You can not take unripe tomatoes either - they will cook slowly, give less juice, and will not peel well. Signs of such: white core, green or yellow spots (not to be confused with the Black Prince variety - dark green spots are normal for it).

Ingredients needed for delicious homemade pasta

Most of the recipes offer approximately the same set of products. Cooking methods differ only in the number of tomatoes and the types of spices required for cooking.

What you need:

three kilograms of fresh, suitable tomatoes;
tablespoon of s alt;
two or three large cloves of garlic;
black pepper (not peas) to taste;
red pepper (one pod or 1/4 teaspoon ground).

If desired, you can add a variety of spices like cloves, bay leaves and mustard - here the tastes of housewives and their households can vary greatly, so the issue with seasonings is at the discretion of each individual.

The process of making homemade tomato paste

Since tomato paste is a one-piece preparation, it is easy to make even at home.You need to spend a minimum of time preparing vegetables and watch them a little while cooking. Done right, this tomato paste can last all winter or longer when fresh vegetables are out.

Proper preparation of vegetables

Tomatoes are always washed, even if they were brought from the supermarket in a net or cling film. Tomatoes are dangerous not because of dirt, but because of the traces of chemical processing, which is inevitable both in an industrial-scale farm and in a small one.

You will need a meat grinder - this is the easiest way to grind tomatoes to a puree state, but before you need to cut out the core from them, which will give off bitterness. Ideally, the tomato should not have a hint of dense flesh in the center at all. Tomatoes peeled in this way are thrown into a meat grinder, not paying attention to the skin.

Sterilization of jars and lids

If this is not done, bacteria will remain inside the jars of ready-made pasta.In a warm and nutritious environment, jars of pasta, these microorganisms will begin to multiply, provoking the process of decay. In no case should it be allowed - the entire product in the can is worthless, and if you notice it too late, even a “canning explosion” is possible.

Banks are sterilized over the burner fire with or without special nozzles. The lids are boiled in boiling water - they are designed for this, therefore they will not bend.

Cooking tomatoes

Tomatoes should reach the state of a homogeneous gruel - then they can be cooked. It is advisable to use a wide and deep saucepan so that the pasta can boil (it can boil a lot), then add all the spices and s alt there, stirring. Fifteen minutes is enough for the pasta to boil and be completely ready.

Packing vegetables

There are two options. If you want to keep the pasta without freezing, you need to pour it into jars with a ladle and tighten the lids with the device necessary for this. Then you have to select a cool and dry place for preservation.

If there is no room for jars, use simple plastic jars (with tight lids) and put them in the freezer. Tomato paste will not get worse from this, on the contrary, it will be stored safer and longer. Don't worry about blistering lids and bacteria - they can't live without heat.

How do you know if the pasta is good?

If the tomatoes are chosen correctly, then most of the work is already done. Fresh and rich pulp gives the main taste, spices emphasize it - that's a delicious preparation. You can taste it. It should not be bitter, sour, give off any other smell, except for tomato.

If it tastes distinctly like borscht stir-fry, it's okay - it's good pasta.

Terms and rules of storage

Jared pasta can be stored in the refrigerator or any other cool place out of direct sunlight. The product in plastic containers is well stored in the freezer (the glass will crack there).

You can store from one to five years (in theory - usually the paste does not stay that long). As long as the jar is not swollen or otherwise damaged, the blank is safe - it can be eaten and added to food .