CookEat Recipe
Unsalted Tomato Concentrate
A thick plain tomato concentrate, strained free of seeds and skins, for refrigerated or frozen storage.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 2 kg ripe meaty tomatoes, preferably small paste tomatoes.
Step 2
Wash the tomatoes, discard spoiled fruit and remove tough stem attachments. Crush coarsely into a stainless-steel or intact enamel saucepan. Use no salt and no bare copper vessel.
Step 3
Cook over moderate heat for about 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes collapse completely. Pour into a clean closely woven food-safe bag or cloth-lined sieve over a bowl and let excess watery liquid drain for about 15–30 minutes. Keep the work clean and proceed promptly; the drained watery liquid is not required for the concentrate.
Step 4
Pass the drained tomato pulp through a food mill or sieve, pressing well to recover the flesh and remove seeds and skins. Return to the cleaned saucepan and simmer uncovered for about 45–75 minutes, stirring increasingly often as it thickens. A small spoonful on a plate should hold together without a watery halo. The exact yield and time depend on the tomatoes.
Step 5
Transfer to clean small heatproof containers, cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep at 4°C or colder and use within 3 days, or freeze in suitable small containers with expansion space for longer storage. Thaw in the refrigerator. This is a refrigerated or frozen preparation, not a shelf-stable canned product. Discard the entire container if mould, fermentation or other spoilage appears; do not scrape it off or try to rescue it by boiling.
Step 6
For a lighter, more fluid version, stop the final reduction earlier while the tomato purée remains pourable, and use the same prompt refrigeration or freezing method. Do not add salicylic acid or other improvised preservatives. Neither version uses corked bottles or a short, unmeasured bottle-heating treatment for room-temperature storage.
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