21 lug 2010

A cooking mini tutorial: making tomato sauce

I've wanted to post a tutorial for a long time but I have always felt a little intimidated. It's not for an ungoddess to teach something, right? However, as I have spent the last two weeks making this, I decided to devote my very first tutorial to the making of tomato sauce. Plus, I am Italian and my country is the place where you can eat the best "spaghetti al pomodoro".
Just follow the numbers, it's really easy!


1. pick or buy some very ripe tomatoes, they should squeeze a little when touched;

2. cut them in halves or quarters (it depends on the size of tomatoes) and put them in a strainer to drain (just a couple of minutes or you will loose some salsa);

3. put them in a very big pot and add, only if you wish, onion, basil, salt and pepper. Let them boil at least for 10 minutes (boiling time it's up to you, it depends on how you like your salsa, I usually let mine boil from 20 to 40 minutes). Put them aside and let them cool for an hour;


4-5-6. put them in a food mixer (I dont' know the English name for the one I used in the pictures) and reduce them to a sauce. If you plan to use your salsa immediately then you're done, enjoy your pasta! If you wish to preserve it for the winter, keep on reading;


7. prepare the bottles, they should be clean and dry (we have recycled beer bottles for a year);

8. put the sauce in the bottles, filling up to the 2/3 of the bottle collar;

9. cork them as beer bottles are (we have a tool made specifically for this) and put them in a very big pot. Cover them with water and let them boil for 20/25 minutes (to sterilize them). Let them cool in the same pot, it usually takes 12 hours;


10. prepare some nice and fun labels... I know, this is the fun part!!!!

11. store them in a cool and dry place. They should keep from 6 months to 1 year;

12. enjoy your salsa on your pasta or wherever you wish!!!

I hope this mini tutorial was clear and I excuse myself if some words were not correct... I am not an English mother tongue and do my best to write correctly.
If some of you have other ways of making salsa, I would love to read your recipes... so, don't be shy and say hello!!!!

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