Fresh Tomato Puree

I have a confession to make. As much as I may let on that I am fearless in the kitchen, there exists an implement that intimidated me so much, that for the past 10+ years I held it prisoner inside of its box, in the basement. What is this fearsome implement, you might ask?? It probably has razor-sharp teeth and an electronic motor that could blow fuses, right?? Heck no. My nemesis was a food mill. Yes, the food mill that my mom innocently gave me, back when we made my kids’ baby food from scratch.

What exactly is a food mill, you might ask?  Well, a food mill is a stainless steel, over-sized funnel-shaped implement that mashes and sieves soft foods, using a hand crank attached to a crushing blade at the top and a perforated disk at the bottom. Frightening, right?!?  Well, in my defense, inadvertently putting the disk in upside down both times I attempted to use it did produce acute frustration and resulted in unladylike cussing.

Once I realized my error, (technically, my mom figured out what I was doing wrong over the phone, and only laughed at me for a few l-o-n-g minutes) I came to the conclusion that this little tool would be indispensable. It bridges the gap between a sieve and a blender/food processor beautifully. It made quick and easy work of removing the seeds/skins from cooked tomatoes, which is how I chose to christen my maiden voyage with my new best friend, the food mill. You can also use it to mash potatoes or other root veggies, or to remove pulp. I am definitely going to use it the next time I make jelly or hummus from scratch.

Turning tomatoes into puree is super-easy using the mill.  This puree can be used to make fresh tomato sauce, or it can be canned or frozen for future use. If making sauce, proceed with your favorite recipe, or try mine: http://perkiomenvalley.patch.com/groups/caroline-pauls-blog/p/bp--a-simple-tomato-sauce

If you'd like to try your hand at canning, read this: http://perkiomenvalley.patch.com/groups/caroline-pauls-blog/p/bp--canning-tomatoes

Fresh Tomato Puree

We grow tomatoes in our garden. Every few days, I harvest enough adorably petite plum tomatoes to fill a large colander. I don’t know exactly what the quantity is that I start with, but I end up with enough puree to make a nice pot of sauce.  Don’t make the mistake of calling it gravy; its sauce, people!!

If you are comfortable winging things a bit, then dive right in. If you are planning on freezing this puree for future use, I would recommend measuring how much you end up with, as most sauce recipes are based on increments of 28 oz. of puree.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Wash tomatoes and remove any rotten spots. Once water comes to boil, add tomatoes carefully. Boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain tomatoes carefully.

Place tomatoes, a handful at a time, into a food mill set up over a large heat-proof bowl. Choose the finest perforated disk and begin cranking. You will end up with a beautifully silky puree, free from skins and seeds.

That’s it! Easy, right?!?