Home made tomato paste

My husband came home from one of his trips to Emali one day and brought me lots of tomatoes! (^_^) But I had just been to the market three days earlier and bought tomatoes as well! So many tomatoes, perfect opportunity to try making my own tomato paste.

the tomatoes, washed and ready
the tomatoes, washed and ready

I had been wanting to do it for a while. I thought about looking for directions online but decided it couldn’t possibly be that difficult, it’s just reduced tomato pulp with a bit of added flavour,… right?  

I used 16 tomatoes for this batch of tomato paste, thought I'd start small and see hoe it goes
I used 16 tomatoes for this batch of tomato paste, thought I’d start small and see how it goes
put them in a pot with some water bring to a boil, let them cook till the skins start cracking and pulling back
put them in a pot with some water bring to a boil, let them cook till the skins start cracking and pulling back
drain out the water first, then, a few at a time, press the tomatoes through a wide mesh sieve to get the pulp without the seeds and skin
drain out the water first, then, a few at a time, press the tomatoes through a wide mesh sieve to get the pulp without the seeds and skin
this is the result, nice tomato pulp
this is the result, nice tomato pulp
the seeds and skin,... I saved them,... maybe I can do something with them,... not sure what yet
the seeds and skin,… I saved them,… maybe I can do something with them,… not sure what yet
put the pulp bad on the stove on medium to low heat to start reducing
put the pulp back on the stove on medium to low heat to start reducing

I added the following ingredients to the pulp for flavour:
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of paprika
2.5 tablespoons of sugar
2 bay leaves

stir the ingredients in and let it simmer slowly till it reduces to desired thickness
stir the ingredients in and let it simmer slowly till it reduces to desired thickness
and there it is! It could reduce further but I was OK with this
and there it is! It could reduce further but I was OK with this
and by the way when it's reducing the aroma that will fill your kitchen is awesome!
and by the way when it’s reducing, the aroma that will fill your kitchen is awesome!
after is cools, place is sealable container and refrigerate
after it cools, place in a sealable container and refrigerate

the container I used is 580ml/20oz, and this is all of it. So you get an idea of how much 16 tomatoes will make. Could be less if you prefer yours a lot thicker as you will have to reduce it further

I used some in the meatball sauce, and a couple of other dishes. How would you use it?

About aika

Making, eating and sharing good food are a splendid way to start, brake and end a day! I post good eats on www.pendolamama.co.ke. Life is a feast, eat up!

12 thoughts on “Home made tomato paste”

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      1. So I keep mine in the fridge (not in the door, in the back of the fridge where it’s coldest) and use it within two weeks without any issues. If you have to keep it any longer Then I suggest freezing it.

        Thank you for stopping by Yvonne!

        Reply

    2. Hello Yvonne!
      Fresh oregano is not always easy to get but I have two places where I sometimes find it.
      One is Ngara Market, there is a guy there that stocks a lot of different herbs, he occasionally had oregano. The other is Zucchini supermarkets. But if you can’t find a fresh batch, the dried ones are OK too, easily found in the supermarkets.

      Reply

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