Homemade peeled tomatoes

Why is the processing process of our peeled tomatoes so precious and traditional? Let's discover together at least 4 reasons why the way of working our peeled tomatoes is unique. Today the great protagonists are homemade peeled tomatoes. Their preparation together with tomato sauce, is one of the cornerstones of Mediterranean cuisine. August is a magical month for tomatoes because they are grown and ripened under the wonderful sun of these days. Here in my country we find farmers who offer the sale of freshly picked local tomatoes and, many nostalgic for canned tomatoes like me, buy whole cases of this wonderful vegetable. 

Homemade peeled tomatoes do not require much equipment, only that, I personally, use my wonderful extractor to pass the peels removed from the scalded tomatoes, thus obtaining a nice thick sauce that I add in the jars. To make peeled tomatoes at home you will only need the raw material and sterile jars with an airtight seal. This preserve is very convenient to keep in the pantry and we can use it in many of our recipes from sauces, to be added in broths, minestrone, legumes and many other soups. It is very important during preparation, to avoid any risk of contamination and prevent the onset of botulinum follow the indications of the Ministry of Health.

THE PROCESSING OF TOMATOES FROM SOUTHERN ITALY IS UNIQUE BECAUSE

The tomato harvesting process is still linked to artisanal dynamics, and is a real ritual that is renewed every year during the summer months. Work in the fields and contact with the agricultural structure of the canning chain are always indispensable and technology never replaces tradition, but serves to perfect and preserve the quality of the final product. The canning takes place at freshly harvested product and does not exceed 6 hours from the detachment of the fruit from the plant, this guarantees that even after 3 years of conservation, our tomato maintains all the characteristics of a freshly harvested product. In short, the quality of peeled tomatoes from Southern Italy is the result of an inseparable combination of agricultural know-how and technological progress that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.

Ingredients

San Marzano tomatoes

Preparation

First of all we proceed by sanitizing the jars, then immerse them in a large pot together with the caps and bring to a boil for about 5-6 minutes. Another good way to sterilize jars is to put them empty in the microwave at 600 watts for about 1 minute. To prepare the peeled tomatoes choose nice tomatoes firm, ripe and without dents, put on the fire a large pot full of water. Wash the tomatoes well to soak and make a cross cut at the end of each tomato. When the water starts to boil scald the tomatoes for 2 -3 minutes, in this way the tomatoes will remain firm. Then drain the tomatoes from the vegetation water with a slotted spoon and put them to drain in a colander. Wait for them to cool for a few minutes. If you have a juice extractor, pass all the peels removed and extract the juice that will serve to fill the empty spaces in the jars. If we do not have the extractor we can pass the skins in a tomato mill. Fill the bottom of the jars with the extracted juice. Proceed with filling the jars by gently inserting the tomatoes. We finish filling the jars with the tomato juice extracted from the skins or with the juice obtained by passing the skins in the vegetable mill. Carefully close the jars leaving 2 or 3 centimeters of space from the edge, we place them close together, taking care to interpose between one jar and the other of the tea towels, this prevents them from breaking during cooking. Then move on to boiling or pasteurization. After boiling about 1 hour, but even more we let them cool in the pot itself. The next day we take the jars out of the pot, dry them well and place them in a cool place. If we want a sauce we can blend the peeled tomatoes with the help of an immersion blender directly in the jars. Keep the peeled tomatoes in a cool and not too bright environment, remembering to mark the date of production: if well made, peeled tomatoes can last for more than a year.