Home-made roasted tomato Passata

When you have a glut of tomatoes, passata is a great way to preserve them and this way of making it is really easy.  Passata is a thick purée of raw tomatoes, known in Italy as passata di pomodoro and a basic store cupboard staple of every Italian cook but I make my own cooked variety.

Passata

Ingredients

• Ripe tomatoes (Plum tomatoes do make the best passata in my view)
• Onion
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Herbs (optional)

 

Method

1. Cut the tomatoes in half (or quarters if very large).
2. Place in a roasting tray together with one chopped onion.
3. Season well and add 1 flat tsp sugar.  Add herbs if liked (basil, thyme, marjoram and oregano all work well) and mix well.
4. Cook at 180º for about ½hr until they are soft and their juices are flowing
5. Allow to cool a little and then blend roughly (this makes the next stage easier).
6. Press the blended tomatoes through a sieve.  I use a wooden darning mushroom to help push them through but the back of a large spoon would also work.

The resulting passata can then either be used fresh or for future use it can be frozen or bottled in preserving jars.

Roasted tomatoes

Making passata

Sieving the blended tomatoes to produce passata

I find passata an invaluable ingredient to have to hand and I use it in so many dishes:

• Base for pasta Sauce
• Added to mince when making lasagne, chilli, moussaka etc
• As a base for soup
• In vegetable bakes
• In curries and stews
• Tomato base for pizzas.

Have you any more uses for passata?  I make loads so would love to know new ways of using it.