Authors: Marisa McClellan
Food in Jars (26 page)
Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each prepared jar. Gently pack the peeled tomatoes into the jars, taking care not to mash or mangle them too badly. They should retain their general tomato form. I find that I can get 5 to 6 average-sized Roma tomatoes into a quart jar.
Pour the boiling water over the tomatoes in each jar, leaving ½ inch/12 mm of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more boiling water if necessary.
Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes (see
page 11
).
Note:
When it comes to choosing tomatoes for canning, I find that either paste tomatoes (varieties developed for their meatiness and lack of liquid) or Roma tomatoes are best for canning. I like plum tomatoes, but they tend to be smaller than the Romas or paste tomatoes, which means more coring and peeling work. I've found that it's best to avoid heirloom tomatoes, as they're far juicier and harder to work with.
H
AD MY MOM BEEN THE TYPE TO CAN HER OWN TOMATOES
(she is strictly a jam and applesauce canner), these would have been her tomatoes of choice. Roughly chopped and simmered a bit to help thicken their juices, these are great in soups, stews, and those one-skillet meals that so many of us fall back on for fast and tasty nourishment. My one-skillet go-to starts with chopped onion and garlic and ends with cubed zucchini, a pound of browned ground beef, and some of these chopped tomatoes.
6 pounds/2.7 kg Roma or paste tomatoes
¼ cup/60 ml bottled lemon juice, divided
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While it heats, core the tomatoes and, using a small, sharp knife, score the bottom of each tomato with a shallow X. Fill a large bowl two-thirds full with ice-cold water. (The cold water stops the cooking and cools the tomatoes down enough for you to peel them after blanching.)
Working in batches, add the tomatoes to the boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately transfer the tomatoes to the bowl of ice-cold water to cool. Repeat with remaining tomatoes, making sure to give the water a chance to come back up to boiling between batches. If the water isn't hot enough, you will have a hard time removing the skins during peeling.
When the blanched tomatoes are cool enough to handle, grab one and peel the skin off with your fingers. The blanching should have loosened it to the point where it curls off the tomato and is easy to pull free.
Chop the peeled tomatoes and place them in a pot with as much of the juices as you're able to capture during the chopping process. Bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 30-35 minutes, until the juices thicken. Stir regularly to prevent burning.
Add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each prepared jar. Ladle the hot chopped tomatoes with their juices into the jars, leaving ½ inch/12 mm of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles and add additional tomatoes, if necessary.
Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes (see
page 11
).
Note:
It's a best canning practice to use bottled lemon juice when you're adding the juice for its role as an acidifier. This is because bottled lemon juice has a dependable acidity level. However, when you are adding lemon juice for flavor (as in the jam recipes earlier in the book) fresh squeezed is preferred.
F
ITTINGLY, IT WAS A FRIEND FROM TEXAS WHO
introduced me to Rotel tomatoes. They are fairly basic chopped and canned tomatoes that have been souped up with the addition of hot peppers. I confess that once a year, I set aside my commitments to eating unprocessed foods and melt a hunk of American cheese with a jar of these tomatoes in order to create queso dip. Healthy? Not so much. But it's oh, so good.
4 pounds/1.8 kg Roma or paste tomatoes
9 jalapeño peppers, diced
3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, divided
Prepare a boiling water bath and 2 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While it heats, core the tomatoes and, using a small, sharp knife, score the bottom of each tomato with a shallow X. Fill a large bowl two-thirds full with ice-cold water. (The cold water stops the cooking and cools the tomatoes down enough for you to peel them after blanching.)
Working in batches, add the tomatoes to the boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes to the bowl of ice-cold water to cool. Repeat with remaining tomatoes, making sure to give the water a chance to come back up to boiling between batches. If the water isn't hot enough, you will have a hard time removing the skins during peeling.
When the blanched tomatoes are cool enough to handle, grab one and peel the skin off with your fingers. The blanching should have loosened it to the point where it curls off the tomato and is easy to pull free.
Chop the peeled tomatoes and place them in a pot with as much of the juice as you're able to capture during the chopping process. Add the chopped jalapeños (remember, the more seeds, the hotter the finished product) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the juices thicken a bit, stirring regularly to prevent burning.
Add 1½ tablespoons of bottled lemon juice to each prepared jar. Ladle the hot chopped tomatoes with their juices into the jars, leaving ½ inch/12 mm of headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles and add additional tomatoes, if necessary.
Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes (see
page 11
).
T
HIS SAUCE IS THE PERFECT TOMATO BLANK SLATE.
I often tip a jar into a pot of stew when I need a little extra acid and oomph but don't want the texture of whole or chopped tomatoes. Pour this sauce into a pan, add a bit of sautéed garlic and onion, a splash of cream, and a little simmer time, and it quickly becomes tomato soup. You can tuck a basil leaf into each jar just before processing if you want to boost the flavor or you can leave it as is. I like to can this product in pints as opposed to quarts as I feel like that gives me more flexibility. However, if you prefer quarts (or liters) of basic sauce, just increase the processing time to 40 minutes.
8 pounds/3.6 kg Roma or paste tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup/60 ml bottled lemon juice, divided
4 basil leaves (optional)
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, and cut away any bruises. Chop the first 4 to 5 tomatoes, put them in a pot and bring to a vigorous boil while crushing them with
a wooden spoon. Keep the pot at a rapid boil while chopping, adding, and crushing the remaining tomatoes. (This method helps prevent the tomatoes from separating once in the jars. If available, have a friend or family member help you crush and stir while you chop and add). Once all the tomatoes are in the pot, boil for 5 more minutes.
Position a sieve or food mill over a large bowl and press the hot tomatoes through it in batches. Discard the seeds and skins in the sieve and return the sauce to the pot and simmer for 40-50 minutes, until it is reduced by a third.
Add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each prepared jar. Pour the hot tomato sauce into the jars, leaving ½-inch/12 mm of headspace. If you're adding a basil leaf to each jar, tuck it in now.
Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes (see
page 11
).
T
HIS SAUCE, ADAPTED FROM THE
BALL BLUE BOOK
of Preserving
, is what I use on pizzas or as the base for larger batches of vegetable-packed pasta sauces. I've also found that it's just the thing for kids who prefer their noodles with just a hint of tomato. When you make this, please stick to the recipe and resist the urge to add extra alliums, which is anything in the onion and garlic family. This is always a struggle for me, since I typically operate under the belief that if a little garlic is good, a whole lot more is even better. As tasty as they are, they are low in acid and so need to be kept in check for the sauce to be safe for boiling water bath canning.
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ cup/80 g chopped yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
9 pounds/4 kg Roma or paste tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, divided
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
While the onions and garlic cook, core and chop the tomatoes. When the onions are translucent, add the chopped tomatoes with any juices. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down.
Position a sieve or food mill over a large bowl and press the hot tomato mixture through it in batches. Discard the seeds and skins in the sieve and return the sauce to the pot. Stir in the basil and parsley. Simmer the sauce until it is reduced by one-third to one-half, about 40-50 minutes.