Easy
   Gourmet Dinners

What would life be without tomatoes? Pizza? Pasta? Summer?

Peeling tomatoes: 

Bring a medium pan 3/4's full of water to a boil on high heat.  Drop tomatoes in for 30 seconds - start timing immediately.  Remove tomatoes and drop into a bowl of cold water.  If you are doing a lot of tomatoes you will have to add ice or change water to keep it cold.  Now peel them with a knife or your fingers - peel will come off very easily. (You can peel peaches the same way)

Freezing tomatoes: 

Juice for cooking: Wash tomatoes and cut in half or quarters, removing stem.  Put in a pot big enough to hold all of them easily, cover and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When thoroughly hot and simmering remove from heat and let sit, covered for an hour or so.  Put a large strainer over another pot big enough to hold the juice and dump the tomatoes in.  Stir and mash the tomatoes in the strainer to release all of the juice.  Discard seeds and skin.  Label heavy duty, zip-lock type freezer bags for 1 cup, 2 cups, etc.  Measure the tomato juice and poor into appropriate bag.  Get as much air out as possible and freeze.   This is to be used in cooking.  For drinking it would need salt, pepper and a little lemon juice.

Juice for Drinking: When cooking add 1/4 green pepper, 1 shallot, and 1 stalk celery for every 6 - 8 cups tomatoes.  Cook at a low simmer for 2 hours, remove and let sit, covered, until cool enough to work with.  Strain and get juice as above.  Before freezing, measure and add 1 tsp of lemon and 1 tsp salt to for every quart of juice.

Note: When I did this in big batches I would cook 4 green peppers, 1 bunch of celery, 3 big onions and 1 bulb of garlic in a bushel of tomatoes.   1 bushel = app. 15 quarts of juice.

Sauce: Do everything exactly the same as for juice except for the straining bit.  Instead of straining put the whole lot, pulp, seeds, skins, etc. into a blender (in batches, of course) and purée.  Label bags for sauce, measure and freeze.

Chopped Tomatoes:  Peel tomatoes (see above)  Cut in 1/4ths or 1/8ths and put into a pan, cover and just bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.  Label bags, measure and freeze.

Grating tomatoes for fresh sauce: 

Cup half of a tomato in your hand and rub it on the big holes of a box (or other style) grater until all that is left in your hand is the skin.  You'll have to press a bit, but not too hard. Be careful not to grate your hand.  Repeat with as many halves as you think you want/need.  You end up with fresh tomato sauce with no skin...and no cooking. 

Roasting tomatoes:

Cut tomatoes into large chunks. Mince some garlic. Sprinkle the garlic over the tomatoes, drizzle with a bit of good olive oil and roast, 300F (150C) for 2 - 3 hours, until very soft.  Use as is or put into bags and freeze.

Oven dried tomatoes: 

Cut Roma or Italian tomatoes in half the long way (through the stem end).  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and roast, 300F (150C) for 6 - 8 hours.  Eat, refrigerate or freeze in bag.

To store:

Store tomatoes in a basket on the counter or in the pantry, away from light.  Do not refrigerate as this causes loss of flavor and texture.