End of Summer / Early Fall Tomatoes are put to great use in a wonderful simmered sauce you can savor well into Fall and Winter. Use it to make my terrific Ground Turkey “Meat Sauce” with Fresh Tomato Sauce.
Tomato sauce – made with fresh peeled tomatoes tastes entirely different from the jarred variety. With a bright and fresh tomato flavor and silky texture. I make big batches, use some immediately for recipes, and freeze some for later – in Winter, I find pints of the sauce in my freezer, and that makes me happy!
Enjoy the process, does take a little time, but so worth you efforts!!
I couldn’t resist buying a case of “seconds” tomatoes at my local farmers’ market. Seconds tomatoes are those the grower can not sell at full price because they are not perfect – some with blemishes or soft spots.
“Seconds” Tomatoes are awesome! Fully ripe – just cut away any darkened spots and proceed. AND – they are soooo economical! I bought the entire case for $15. With heirloom tomatoes selling for about $4 a pound these were a steal!
Only thing – had to peel the entire case! Not too difficult, and goes quite quickly.
The process: With a sharp knife cut away the blossom end to each tomato with a sharp small knife (the side that grows off the vine.) Then cut a light “X” on the other side – this will loosen the skin, and make it a breeze to peel. Drop each one into a clean sink until you have done all. Wash gently to remove any outer dirt.
Bring you largest soup pot to a boil, filled halfway with water. Then, drop tomatoes into the water, cover with lid – after one minute remove them to a clean sink.
Peel tomatoes (they slip right off), cut away any bad spots and cut in half.
Seed tomatoes by squeezing them over a fine mesh strainer with a bowl underneath to catch all the juices. There will be a lot of juice! Use it in the sauce and reduce for 1 hour… not much tomato paste needed.
Enjoy! Let Summer linger a bit with this homemade sauce!
Karen