Preserve tomatoes for winter

Press, 11 April 1977, Page 8

Preserve tomatoes for winter

By Celia Timms

With home-grown tomatoes gradually ripening and shops displaying them at a variety of prices, most housewives are making full use of them now or preserving them for [winter use. My suggestions for today all include tomatoes and I hope the recipes will be helpful.

TOMATO SOUP Tomato Soup bottled now will be greatly appreciated during the winter months. This is a reliable recipe and suitable for preserving. It makes about six jars.

Your will need:— 6kg sound ripe tomatoes 1 teaspoon mace 25g celery seed 7 whole cloves 2 tablespoons salt 14 sprigs parsley 3 teaspoons pepper H tablespoons sugar (23g) 225 g butter 8 tablespoons plain flour (60g) Method: Chop tomatoes roughly and place in pan with 1 cup cold Water. Place over low heat and leave to simmer until juices begin to run freely. Add all ingredients except butter and flour and continue to simmer until very soft and pulpy. Put through a sieve and return puree to pan. Add the butter and flour mixed to a smooth paste with a little of the liquid. Boil together for 2-3 minutes; test for seasoning, bottle and seal and process in water bath, in oven, or deep freeze.

| DEEP FREEZING TOMATOES Tomatoes are about the easiest of all vegetables to deep freeze but when frozen whole they are only suitable I for use in soups or casseroles, as they collapse when thawed. But tomato

halves can be usefully deepfrozen and served with the breakfast bacon rasher. When cooking them, place in pan still frozen hard and when the bacon is cooked the tomato halves should be thawed and heated through. To freeze, use firm tomatoes thoroughly washed, drained and dried. Halve and place on tray and freeze immediately. When hard, remove and pack quickly into plastic bags or containeps. To freeze them whole I just pack them into a large bag after washing and drying, and use from the bag as required. TOMATO JELLY An unusual sweet filling for tarts or cakes is Tomato Jelly. You will need:— 3kg ripe tomatoes 3 large lemons

Sugar Method: Chop tomatoes roughly. Squeeze lemons and chop the rinds. Combine both in a pan and cook over very low heat until juices run freely. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain through a jelly bag or two thicknesses of muslin. Return juice to pan and measure. When boiling add cup for cup of sugar and the lemon juice. Boil until it jells. Bottle and seal.

ITALIAN SAUCE Italian style sauce for serving on boiled spaghetti can be stored covered in the refrigerator or deep-frozen. The following quantities are

. enough for 6 servings only, 3 You will need:— ' | cup olive oil j 3 onions j 3 cloves garlic i 3 tablespoons finely- ; chopped parsley ' 3 tablespoons Sauterne ■ wine 1 2 teaspoons salt > | teaspoon pepper ' 1 teaspoon oregano . J cup chopped spinach or > silver beet (without stalk) t I cup chopped mushrooms , 8 large ripe tomatoes [ Method: Skin tomatoes, ’ chop roughly and place in pan over low heat until soft. Heat oil in another pan and , add finely chopped onion and ; crushed garlic. Saute for 10 [minutes, stirring frequently. :Add parsley, tomatoes, wine. I salt, pepper and oregano and [stir well. Cover and simmer [over low heat for 2 hours. .[Add the chopped spinach and [,mushrooms and cook covered [for another 15 minutes. Press .[through a sieve or buzz in J a blender. Correct seasoning [iand serve over freshly boiled land strained spaghetti. : | Grated cheese should be [ | handed round separately. TOMATO PASTE Italian Tomato Paste is useful as a flavouring during the winter. This is a dry paste and is formed into balls which are stored in an airtight container. You will need:— 3kg ripe tomatoes I head celery 1 cup finely-chopped onion 1 clove garlic 3 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon mixed herbs 1 teaspoon peppercorns 12 whole cloves ; 1 2in stick cinnamon [ Method: Chop tomatoes i

land celery including some of the celery leaves and combine with remaining ingredients in pan. Simmer until tomatoes are soft, stirring frequently. Put through a sieve and return pulp to a double saucepan and continue to cook over boiling , water until very thick and the quantity is reduced to , half. The time varies but expect it to take about 3 hours. ‘ Spread the paste to a depth j of A inch on moistened pan, , making several gashes with ; knife blade into paste to ( speed drying process. Place ( in slow oven 225) until dry , enough to roll into small balls with the fingers. Smear , balls with a very little olive j oil and store in airtight jar.! | MACARONI CHEESE ] Tomato Macaroni Cheese ( makes a tasty light meal for:, those who enjoy savoury i. foods. The recipe will serve four. t You will need: — ; j 450 g tomatoes 225 g macaroni 225 g cheese 1 teaspoon sugar (15g) j Salt and pepper Sweet basil

J cup crushed breakfast cereal Method: Cook macaroni until soft in boiling salted water. Drain well. Grate cheese on coarse grater. Skin tomatoes and slice. Fill a greased ovenproof dish with alternate layers of tomato, macaroni and cheese, reserving a little cheese for I sprinkling over top. Season the tomato layers with a very little basil, a light: sprinkling of sugar and salt ' and pepper. Use tomatoes for the top layer and sprinklewith the crushed cereal! mixed with cheese. Dot with butter and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. TOMATOES AND SWEETCORN For another light luncheon: dish, try tomatoes combined'

with creamed sweetcorn Serves six. You will need:— 6 firm tomatoes 6 rashers bacon 12oz tin cream-style sweetcorn (350 g 1 egg Prepared mustard Sweet basil Grated cheese Parsley Salt and pepper

Method: Cut a slice from the stem end of each tomato and carefully scoop out pulp into a bowl. Turn tomato shells upside down to drain for 10 - 15 minutes. Chop pulp and add sweetcorn. Beat egg and add to tomato and com mixture .season to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch of basil. Spread inside of each drained tomato shell with prepared mustard and divide the cooked and chopped bacon evenly between them. Spoon the corn mixture on top of bacon, well filling each shell. [ Sprinkle with cheese and| arrange in baking dish. Bake I at 375 for 30 minutes or un-J til soft and lightly browned: on top. Garnish with parsley, i

TOMATO, ONION PIZZA PIE Tomato and Onion Pizza Pie makes yet another tasty snack meal. Ingredients are enough for an eight-inch pie plate. You will need:— 225 g tomatoes 125 g self-raising flour 4 teaspoons cornflour 4 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons oil 2 teaspoons tomato paste 2 onions 4 rashers bacon 3 tablespoons grated cheese Salt, pepper and

cayenne Method: Sift flour with cornflour and salt. Beat milk and oil together and when blended add to flour and knead lightly until smooth. Roll out thinly and line a 7-8 inch pie plate. Spread base with tomato paste and cover this with chopped bacon. Add skinned and sliced tomatoes then the thinly sliced onion. Top with grated cheese and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. As the pizza is filled, season lightly with salt, pepper and a very little cayenne pepper. CUCUMBER PICKLE

A reader has asked for a clear, sweet cucumber pickle. This recipe is delicious, but it requires more effort to make than the Cucumber Pickle given last week. You will need:— 10 medium-sized cucumbers 1 litre vinegar (4 cups) 2kg sugar (about 8 cups) 5 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons pickling spice | teaspoon alum Method: Cover the whole cucumbers with boiling water and leave to stand overnight. Drain. Repeat this procedure for 3 more nights, leaving in water only overnight. On fifth day drain, peel and slice. Dissolve alum in boiling water and pour over sliced cucumbers to cover. When cold, drain and rinse in cold water. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and spice (tied in muslin) and bring to boil. Boil for 2- 3 minutes and then pour over cucumber. Leave for 2 days in syrup. On third day bring all to the boil, removing bag of spices and pack into hot jars and seal. A few drops of green food colouring added before seal-' ing is an improvement.