This is the yummiest paste, way better than store bought. Not to mention it is hard to find paste in a glass jar if you are concerned about BPA. Even if you do find paste in a glass jar, once you try this you won't want any other kind. Really, I'm not kidding. This stuff is great to add to soups and stews or spread lightly on toast or crackers. We use this instead of tomato sauce when we make pizza. It is so rich and flavorful that I can thin a little with water and place on our pizza crust. That way we don't have soupy pizza......nobody here likes that kind of pizza. Crisp and crunchy please!
In Italy they make "Estratta, or Strattu which is the American version of tomato paste. Now don't get this confused with conserva which is paste however it's not made the authentic Sicilian way. Unfortunately if you live somewhere that the temperatures don't get above 90 degrees for a few days, you will have to resort to conserva. I have read that conserva is good but Estratta is better because only the sun and the ultraviolet light can break down the lycopene to bring out the best tomato flavor in the finished product. Conserva is made by evaporating the juices in the oven at low temperatures instead of using the sun.
Estratta is finished off out in the hot sun on shallow trays. This evaporates the fluid and condenses all the tomato flavor into a small but mighty package that tastes like sunshine and smells like the best Italian restaurant you have ever eaten in.
The down side to all this, yes there is a down side. You need A LOT of tomatoes to make a small amount of estratta. The first time I made this I started with around 50 lbs of tomatoes and had 6 pint jars when I was done. A little does go a long way so those jars will last a while but once you get a taste of this you will not want to run out. You also need to have some time to baby-sit it. The estratta needs to be kept in the sun to do it's thing so you may be moving it as the day progresses unless you have the perfect location that is in the hot sun all day long. We have animals wandering about so I have to baby-sit mine.
Paste tomatoes work the best for estratta since they have less juice and condense down more quickly. So start out with tomatoes. Skin and take the seeds out with the equipment you have on hand. I happen to have a tomato strainer/skinner that basically juices the tomatoes and spits the skin and seeds out. It has a hand crank and looks a bit like a meat grinder. You can scald, skin, and remove the seeds by hand if that is all you have. Fill a heavy pot with the tomatoes and juice, place on the stove and cook down to 1/3 of original amount. Add salt to taste. Some people add other seasoning such as basil, oregano, thyme. Season to your taste but remember that this is going to evaporate more so the taste will be even more condensed.
I place my tomatoes in a shallow roasting pan, cover with cheese cloth to prevent bug contamination and place on the rail of our back deck in the am and move to the hood of my car in the pm. I bring it back to our screened in porch for the night. During the day I turn it a few times to expose more moisture to the air and sun. If you have good hot days and sun it should be ready in 2-3 days.
When it is so thick that you can pick it up in chunks and kind of roll it into a ball you are ready to place it in jars. Sterilize your jars and rub olive oil in them. Pack the Estratta into the jars, making sure you get the air bubbles out. Leave 1/4 inch head space and top with olive oil to ensure not air can get to the paste. You can store this on your shelves or in the refrigerator. If you store on a shelf, once you open and start using a jar, place it in the refrigerator and try to keep the paste covered by the olive oil, this is what prevents it from spoiling.
Let me know if you try this and what you think. It is worth the work that goes into making it, I promise!
Estratta is finished off out in the hot sun on shallow trays. This evaporates the fluid and condenses all the tomato flavor into a small but mighty package that tastes like sunshine and smells like the best Italian restaurant you have ever eaten in.
The down side to all this, yes there is a down side. You need A LOT of tomatoes to make a small amount of estratta. The first time I made this I started with around 50 lbs of tomatoes and had 6 pint jars when I was done. A little does go a long way so those jars will last a while but once you get a taste of this you will not want to run out. You also need to have some time to baby-sit it. The estratta needs to be kept in the sun to do it's thing so you may be moving it as the day progresses unless you have the perfect location that is in the hot sun all day long. We have animals wandering about so I have to baby-sit mine.
Paste tomatoes work the best for estratta since they have less juice and condense down more quickly. So start out with tomatoes. Skin and take the seeds out with the equipment you have on hand. I happen to have a tomato strainer/skinner that basically juices the tomatoes and spits the skin and seeds out. It has a hand crank and looks a bit like a meat grinder. You can scald, skin, and remove the seeds by hand if that is all you have. Fill a heavy pot with the tomatoes and juice, place on the stove and cook down to 1/3 of original amount. Add salt to taste. Some people add other seasoning such as basil, oregano, thyme. Season to your taste but remember that this is going to evaporate more so the taste will be even more condensed.
I place my tomatoes in a shallow roasting pan, cover with cheese cloth to prevent bug contamination and place on the rail of our back deck in the am and move to the hood of my car in the pm. I bring it back to our screened in porch for the night. During the day I turn it a few times to expose more moisture to the air and sun. If you have good hot days and sun it should be ready in 2-3 days.
When it is so thick that you can pick it up in chunks and kind of roll it into a ball you are ready to place it in jars. Sterilize your jars and rub olive oil in them. Pack the Estratta into the jars, making sure you get the air bubbles out. Leave 1/4 inch head space and top with olive oil to ensure not air can get to the paste. You can store this on your shelves or in the refrigerator. If you store on a shelf, once you open and start using a jar, place it in the refrigerator and try to keep the paste covered by the olive oil, this is what prevents it from spoiling.Let me know if you try this and what you think. It is worth the work that goes into making it, I promise!
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