Tomato processing – homemade tomato sauce

Who feels exactly the same in August/September: The tomatoes are all ripe at the same time and you’re having tomato salad the third day in a row? We are happy when the harvest finally starts and then there are always masses of them. And what to with them all?

We have a recipe idea for you to process the tomatoes into a delicious sauce.

Because one thing is clear: tomatoes taste much better from your own garden than from the supermarket. They are pampered by the sun, fully aromatic and fruity, so now is the best time to make your own tomato sauce – from fresh tomatoes!

A good tomato sauce consists of onions, a little garlic, olive oil, tomatoes selected according to strict quality criteria, salt, pepper and a little sugar.

This basic recipe for tomato sauce can be varied endlessly. If you want, add an onion, some chili or mediterranean herbs, basil or oregano. Finely chopped dried tomatoes make the sauce especially aromatic.

So our tip: If you don’t want to miss out on the full taste of fresh, sun-kissed tomatoes from the garden even in the cold season, you should take precautions now: make a supply of tomato sauce and freeze or preserve it in jars.

Homemade tomato sauce in stock

Ingredients for 8 servings

3 kg ripe tomatoes
5 Onions
4 fresh garlic cloves
8 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
(as you like: 2 sprigs of rosemary, 4 stems of thyme, 1 bunch of basil)

Preparation

Cut out the stem of the tomato and cut the opposite side crosswise. Boil the tomatoes in boiling water for about 1/2 minutes, then immediately put them into a bowl of cold water and ice cubes. This way the skin can be easily removed with a small knife. Cut the tomatoes into 2 cm pieces.

Finely dice onions and garlic. Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onions and garlic for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato pieces, season with salt, pepper and sugar, bring everything to a boil once and let it simmer on a mild heat for at least 1 hour.

This basic recipe for tomato sauce can be varied endlessly. If you like, you can add some chili, Mediterranean herbs, basil or oregano.

Now immediately fill the tomato sauce into clean preserving jars until a few centimeters below the edge and close them tightly. Place the closed tomato sauce jars in a deep baking tray with some space between them and fill it with hot water (a few centimeters high).

Put the tray into the cold oven and set the temperature to 170°C circulating air. Reduce the temperature slightly as soon as bubbles appear in the tomato sauce. After 20 minutes turn off the oven and leave the glasses in the oven for another 30 minutes. Take them out and let them cool down.

If you like, you can also simply freeze the tomato sauce in storage boxes so that it can be preserved.

Picture source: Barbara Katzenberger, Fotolia