Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: mumofstig on August 13, 2011, 18:29

Title: Passata time of year again!
Post by: mumofstig on August 13, 2011, 18:29
After skinning, chopping, passing through the Mouli and cooking to reduce.......I've just put 12 x 400g polybags of passata, into the freezer.

I'm shattered now, and the Kitchen is still splattered and smells of tomato and basil  ::)

Now to cook tea, and it isn't pasta...I've had enough of that with all the sampling  :lol:
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: arugula on August 13, 2011, 18:43
So I'm sure more than one will want to know your passata recipe mum and I want to know what you're having for tea.  :tongue2: :D
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: MJS on August 13, 2011, 18:46
Well done! :D
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: mumofstig on August 13, 2011, 20:02
Put tomatoes into a saucepan of boiling water for a few minutesto lift the skins off.
Remove skins as soon as your fingers will allow and pass the tomatoes through a mouli, a passa pomodori machine or sieve to remove all the pips. The passapomodori machine will take the skins off as well but I prefer to do it first.
Put back into clean saucepan and bring to boil, simmer till thick as you like. Add 2 teaspoons of bottled lemon juice to each pint of passata, and  add salt to taste...it's quite sweet by now so it needs more than you think ;)
Either cool and pour into bags with a little olive oil and a sprig of basil. Which is what I did today as there is room in the freezer.
Otherwise
Pour  hot passata into clean glass jars, heated in the oven, add the oil and basil, clean around the screw top to make sure you get a good seal and screw on lid.
Put jars into a pan of hot water up to their shoulders. I put an old tea towel on the bottom to cushion the jars a bit. Put on pan lid, or cover over with foil to keep heat in.
Bring the water back up to boil and leave simmering for 30 mins. Then leave jars to cool and the lids will pop down. I save the jars that have a dimple in the lid so you can see that they've sealed properly. Any that don't seal should go in the fridge and be used up within a week or so, to be on the safe side


As for tea...cheese and beans on a jacket spud, a bit of coleslaw on the side, and a cornetto for 'afters' :lol:
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: arugula on August 13, 2011, 20:04
Brilliant, thanks.  :D We had ice cream too, Mackies honeycomb.....  :)
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: Janeymiddlewife on August 13, 2011, 20:44
I take it you have a greenhouse mum, as my outdoor ones are still very green!
I'll be about 6 weeks behind you mum, I'd always frozen til now, but might try the jars if i can get enough of them as freezer space is at a premium, come to think of it, all space is at a premium  :D
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: arugula on August 13, 2011, 20:46
Our greenhouse, well polytunnel, ones are green, but at least they are there.  :)
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: Trillium on August 13, 2011, 20:52
Despite hot weather, my toms for saucing are green too. At least I have a lot this year.

But the cherry toms are ripening faster than Ii can eat them. Yummmm
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: mumofstig on August 13, 2011, 21:44
I checked and it is a week earlier than last year.
I tried a new Variety this year, which I would recommend for sauce cooking...Rio Grande from Seeds of Italy. I grew them as double cordons and have a huge yield off 5 plants, lots more still green, as well, impressive!
The San Marzano which I've preferred till now have nowhere near as many toms on and are still green :(

Wth the Rio Grande it looks as if they will be picked and out of the greenhouse in good time to leave room for the winter salads.
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: strangerachael on August 17, 2011, 13:09
I slow cook the tomatoes in the oven on a low heat before putting through the passata machine, instead of reducing it afterwards. Works well.  ;)
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: plum crumble on August 17, 2011, 13:30
thanks MUM! Will try Rio Grande next year - my various varieties are all green still! Is Rio Grande just for Greenhouse growing?
ta
Plum
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: mumofstig on August 17, 2011, 14:00
it doesn't say it's a greenhouse only one, but I didn't grow any outside.
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: sunshineband on August 17, 2011, 14:41
Thanks for the heads up with the Rio Grande.

I've been a bit disappointed with Roma this year (which is what I have grown for suaces etc) with a poor yield.

Luckily the Alicantes, whilst not the best flavoured tomatoes in the world, have come up trumps so i shall be 'passata-ing' to get them all done before we go on holiday at the weekend  :D
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: Trillium on August 17, 2011, 20:30

The San Marzano which I've preferred till now have nowhere near as many toms on and are still green :(

/quote]

I've had that problem too with san Marzano - lovely flavour but very low yield. I'll give Rio Grande a try as sometimes even my Romas disappoint in yield.
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: mumofstig on August 26, 2011, 14:36
Raining this morning so made another batch, put into jars this time.
They've just started popping :) ...I  love the sound of a job well done.
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: Yorkie on August 26, 2011, 15:22
Red tomatoes, mmm, that would be nice  ::) :lol:
Title: Re: Passata time of year again!
Post by: Swing Swang on August 26, 2011, 15:58
@mumofstig - I'd echo what strangerachel does - roast them before you put them through the mouli - no need to skin them at all that way as all the pips and seeds will stay in the mouli.

Actually I very carefully drain off the clear fluid that comes out of the toms on roasting and reduce this to a fifth of its original volume and return it back to the pulp. That way the bulk of the pulp needs very little (if any) reducing and of course it doesn't need stirring to stop it sticking/spitting. Much more clear fluid comes out of the toms if they are pre frozen than if they are raw and it's almost better to pre-freeze the toms if doing it this way.

SS