Thursday 7 January 2016

Tomato Sauce - with a twist

This kind of frugal, simple lifestyle requires a certain amount of adapting and being resourceful.
The tomatoes are coming in by the bucket full every day now and I wanted to get started on making tomato sauce, but the apples on the trees are not ripe yet. The supplies for selling in the Farm-gate shop are dwindling, and I need to get these tomatoes out of my kitchen.
What to do? I've already washed and put a few bags of whole tomatoes into the freezers, waiting until the apples ripen.
In the middle of the night the answer came to me. Plums... or any fruit for that matter.
So yesterday I concocted a recipe by taking the basics from three different favorite Tomato Sauce recipes.
The resulting sauce was well received by the family at our weekly get together dinner last night, and the flavors will continue to develop.
I even remembered to write it all down as I added the ingredients, so here is the recipe if you want to give it a go with whatever fruit you may have. Why stick to using only apples?

Tomato Sauce  

6kgs Tomatoes
1kg Plums (or apples or any fruit)
2-4 large Garlic cloves (or to taste)
400g Onions  
 Roughly cut up and add;

1 kg sugar
2 tablespoons salt
3 teaspoons mustard powder
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon chill powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or pepper corns 
1 litre white or brown vinegar  
 **I forgot to add the vinegar when I posted this recipe last night but have corrected this now.**

Bring to the boil and simmer for approx two hours or until it starts to thicken slightly and the amount has decreased by roughly 4cm from the top. Stir frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
**Added  10/1/16**  Today I made another batch and this time took note that I simmered the pot on the stove for more than three hours until the mixture had reduced by roughly one quarter in quantity.

Take off the heat and put the mixture through a Mouli .. into another large pot.

Put back onto the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes (stir frequently) before bottling whilst hot.
Screw the bottle lids on immediately for a good seal. 

I like making sauce because I don't need to spend ages finely cutting up the ingredients. A rough chop is all that is required because it breaks down after simmering for all that time and then it goes through the Mouli. 

Tomato Sauce is another of those traditional Barossa foods that every dedicated Barossa house-wife/person will make every summer for use throughout the year. Use with meats, pasties and sausage rolls, in sandwiches and pasta dishes, to flavor soups, stews etc.

Happy sauce making!

I'll be making another batch tomorrow.



  


5 comments:

  1. I've never even considered adding apples, or any fruit to tomato sauce! I'll have to give this a go this year, if our apple trees are as prolific as they were last year, it would make the tomatoes go so much further.

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  2. That combo sounds great. Did it taste much different than the apple/tomato sauce?

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  3. mmmm, sounds delish! Do the plums make a darker, richer sauce?

    xx

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  4. My family have always added apples to make a thicker tomato sauce with a fruitier flavour, and it appears to be quite a common practice in the Barossa Sue. Using the plums hasn't altered the taste much at all Joolz. The colour is a little darker Emma. ** PLEASE NOTE** I forgot to write the vinegar in the recipe, but have corrected that now.

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  5. Thanks Sally for a great idea
    I look forward to trying when I get home!
    Hopefully my tomatoes wil be ripe ( put them in late)
    Now to find an old mueli
    X Mary-anne

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