The tomato is a native vegetable of Central America already known to the Aztecs to which they attributed an aphrodisiac connotation and used the sauce in their eating habits. It was introduced in Europe in the 16th century with the name "apple of love" which in Italy became "apple of gold" (pomo d'oro).
In times when there were no supermarkets or industrial production, the population was nourished by following the natural seasonality of the products and resorted to different ways to preserve certain foods throughout the year.
Tomato is one of the most used foods for cooking and ripens in the summer months during which preserves are prepared to be consumed in the winter. Even today, Tomato is one of the most used foods in the kitchen and ripens in the summer months during which preserves are prepared to be consumed in the winter. Even today, homemade tomato preserves are by far preferable to those of industrial processing as they are certainly more genuine, especially if organic tomatoes are used.
Tomato preserves can be of different types and range from pureed tomatoes to whole or chopped tomatoes.
How to make tomato purée
Making tomato purée does not simply mean following a mere procedure, but it is a real ritual handed down from generation to generation. Here's how to prepare it:
- Group a certain amount of ripe tomatoes and wash them well under running water. Generally, for every Kg of tomatoes it is possible to obtain half a liter (500 ml) of puree. The tomatoes for the purée can all be of the same quality (for example San Marzano) or you can also opt for a mixture of different tomato qualities (San Marzano, Sorrento tomatoes, datterini, cherry tomatoes etc ...);
- Cut the tomatoes into pieces and place them in a pan, preferably non-stick, previously removing the stalk, the internal white area and possibly all the damaged areas. It is necessary to pay particular attention that there are no tomatoes or spoiled parts as they, fermenting, ruin the whole sauce;
- Add salt, usually between 5 and 7 grams for each kg of tomatoes. In this phase, according to your preferences, you can also add fresh basil leaves whose quantity varies according to taste;
- Turn on the fire making sure that the flame is as low as possible to prevent the tomatoes from burning and then cover the pot with a lid;
- Stir the tomatoes from time to time with a wooden ladle and raise the heat when water begins to appear on the bottom of the pot;
- Then remove the lid when the tomatoes are completely immersed in water and continue cooking;
- When the tomatoes are well cooked, separate the watery part in a separate pan (which can be used in the kitchen for other preparations) and pass the tomatoes using a manual or electric strainer, choosing the filter suitable for the desired graininess.
How to preserve tomato purée
Fresh tomato purée can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days and in the freezer for about 4 months.
To preserve the purée in the pantry, however, it is necessary to pasteurize it to sterilize it from the contamination of bacteria that are dangerous for our health such as botulinum:
- Transfer the puree into glass jars (or bottles) that are dry and clean, taking care not to fill up to the rim of the jar and to tighten the caps well;
- Place the jars in a pot of strictly cold water trying to keep the water level as high as possible;
- Place a few crumpled sheets of newspaper (or kitchen towels) between the jars to prevent them from breaking and hitting each other during boiling and, in the case of bottles, cover the latter as well, making sure that the cover falls halfway into the water;
- Boil for about an hour on a very low heat and when it is turned off, allow to cool completely without moving the pot. It is normal to find swollen corks after turning off the fire, as it is normal to hear small barrels coming from the corks after a few hours;
- Before storing the cans of tomato sauce in the pantry it is advisable to keep them for a couple of months in the cellar, closed in a plastic bag as it may happen that some of them can ferment and break.