Hi there!
This week you will be receiving a 3lb mixed bag of tomatoes for sauce. It will contain roma, slicer, and heirloom tomatoes. Roma tomatoes tend to have more flesh and fewer seeds than other varieties. Slicers are hybrid tomatoes that have been bred to be shelf stable and uniform. Heirloom tomatoes are the most flavorful of the bunch adding sweetness while the other varieties add body.
If you are interested in making sauce the first step is peeling the tomatoes.
- To do this score the tomatoes, remove the stem, then blanch in a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Toss them in an ice bath. The skins should come off easily with a knife or your hands.
- If you don't feel like taking the time to do all that you can also remove the skins with a food mill or blend the tomatoes until the skins aren't noticeable.
- Depending on how smooth you want your sauce you can use a food mill, blender, or chop the tomatoes. Chopping can be done by hand or in a food processor. For a chunky sauce you can skip this step entirely and let them break down while simmering.
- Place the tomatoes in a pot and simmer over medium heat for 30 to 90 minutes. Shorter times will yield a thinner sauce with more fresh tomato flavor while a longer time will result in a thicker sauce and more cooked flavor.
- At this point its time to season your sauce. Add in salt, acid, and sweetness to taste. Plus, herbs and spices.
- If you are planning on canning your sauce make sure to follow the Ball Blue Book recommendations for processing times and proper acid ratios.
- Or you can freeze your sauce for up to 3 months.
Make sure to use some right away for this week's pizza or pasta night.
-Your Fresh Fork Market Team
