Passata (or more specifically Passata di Pomodoro) is the multi-purpose tomato purée. This Italian staple is relatively easy to make albeit messy! Group processing is the fun and easy way to do all of this. Gather your goodies and friends and make a day of it. This last spring when we convened to process tomatoes we all went home with:

• 12 jars of passata
• 2 quarts of spicy tomato sauce
• 2 quarts of salsa

In my house growing up my mother made a spaghetti sauce that has been loved for years by friends and family but she always used canned tomatoes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with canned tomatoes, just remember not all canned tomatoes are the same. I choose to make passata because I have access to tons of locally grown organic tomatoes and because it saves me money and supports the local farmers.

Down here passata can be found in some of the fancier stores but it’s so quick and simple to make at home, why spend the money? And when tomatoes are at the height of their season, you can often find really good deals on bulk buys.

Passata di Pomodoro

Ingredients

• Fresh tomatoes, cut in half
• A pinch of salt
• A basil leaf or two (optional)

Directions

1. Cut your tomatoes in half and put them all in a saucepan.
2. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, cover the saucepan and let the tomatoes simmer over moderate heat, stirring from time to time. After about 5-10 minutes, they should have softened and just begun to melt. Keep your eye on this, walking away can me a scorched pot of tomatoes.
3. Pour the tomatoes into a food mill positioned over a large mixing bowl. Let the tomatoes cool off for a couple of minutes. By this time, depending on your tomatoes, there will be either a little or quite a bit of liquid that will have drained into the bowl. Discard it before proceeding.
4. Re-position the food mill on top of the bowl and rotate the handle until all you have left in the food mill are skins and seeds. You’ll want to throw this stuff away, of course. What you’ll have in the mixing bowl is your passata.
5. Transfer the purée into a mason jar or any other container you want. Add a pinch of salt and if you like, nestle a basil leaf or two on top. Follow canning procedures if you are putting this sauce up. Otherwise, let the sauce cool down before closing and putting it in the fridge.

Notes:

A food mill is essential for making passata di pomodoro. Food mills are very affordable and you can buy them most anywhere that sells cookware or online. (this is a good link) This is the labor intensive part of the sauce making. Unfortunately we do not have technology that can replace the what the food mill does. You can skin and seed prior to blending if you don’t want to buy a food mill but that wont cut down on the labor.

The best tomatoes for making passata are plum tomatoes, also known as the sauce tomatoes and are designed for sauce making (and sun-dried tomatoes too). They tend to be less watery, with more flesh and fewer seeds, than other tomatoes. But, any type of tomato will do, so long as they are ripe and full of flavor. And since what I have available in bulk around me are a larger slicing variety, thats what I use. I just adjust my steps giving a little more time to draining the tomatoes before processing.

I don’t like doing tasks that don’t show results. So I do this in bulk and put up at least a dozen jars of sauce for the off season following standard canning procedures.

Canned tomato options:

If I am going to use canned tomatoes these are the two I prefer to use if I am making sauce.

San Marzano

Mutti