4

I grow sauce tomatoes, roma and others. When they come in I blanch them, then run the thru a food mill. I then freeze the sauce in plastic freezer bags or cook it down into paste.

I recently tried pulling out several bags of the frozen sauce to cook down into paste, I sliced the bags in a couple of areas and let them defrost over night on a cooling rack set in a tray.

In the morning, the bags had just the solid tomato matter and all the liquid was collected in the bottom of the tray. Very cool I thought. . but then. . . the question came to mind. . . .

Am I losing any flavor or nutrients by just discarding this liquid or should it be cooked down with the solid tomato matter?

1 Answer 1

3

I definitely think you should cook it down. I sometimes use canned whole tomatoes to make sauce by slicing them open and letting the liquid out, and combining that with the liquid from the can and whatever else (e.g, a bit of white wine).

I roast the tomato solids under a broiler with some sweet onion and garlic (starting the onion 5-10 minutes before anything else). While that's happening I reduce the liquid by half, so it is a bit syrupy. Exactly how much you boil off I guess depends on your ratio of solids to liquid. The whole process takes maybe 20 minutes, then I combine the two in a blender. If it's too thin or too thick, you can always reduce it further or add some water.

Roasting the tomato solids gives the sauce an enhanced flavour. Credit where it's due: I got this idea from Alton Brown's "Good Eats" -- but I don't recommend the specifics of his recipe, which involve way, way too much vinegar, sugar and capers. There's no strict recipe needed anyway; just add whatever you normally would (or wouldn't). Reducing a liquid and broiling tomatoes is pretty straightforward.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.